The Enemy's Little Brother
by MillaSnape
Summary: Ikki hates the 3 Bronze Saints. He sabotages their work and tries to kill them constantly. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. They search for a weakness, and find Ikki's younger brother, Shun. How far will they go, using him?
1. Enough is Enough

Disclaimer 1: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. (The Bronze Saints are mine… but only in my deluded heart.) I'm not trying to make a profit here (wouldn't be able to, even if I tried).

Disclaimer 2: The premise for this fic was [shamefully stolen] [cross that], uh, heavily inspired by KaL KeY, in her great fic "Mob Boss". As soon as I read her summary, my mouth started watering with the possibilities, my mind started forming its own ideas, and I knew I was in for a special treat. And a treat it was, indeed - please go read it and see for yourself! However, KeY's plot went in a direction, and mine (mental plot) went in another. I love her story, but my own "what-ifs" keep plaguing my mind. My muse demands that I write it, [stolen] [cross that] borrowed or not, or else. KeY: please take this as a huge compliment, and go finish your fic! I just must. Read. More. And I bet your other readers do too.

A/N: I watched Saint Seiya, the TV series, 15 years ago. In Portuguese. Which means, some bizarre terms and wrong facts might come out; please bear with me.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

Rating: T for language and violence, and minor sexual references.

Warnings: A possible Hyoga/Shun slash pairing. It might not happen, but if it does, it will be on the platonic, sweet side. I'll let the boys decide for themselves. ;-)

.

**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 1 – Enough Is Enough**

"This has got to stop!" yelled Seiya. "I am sick and tired of dealing with Ikki's madness!" He punctuated his statement by grabbing the object nearest him - an invaluable antique Japanese vase - and hurled it against the wall, shattering it into a million pieces.

Saori flinched in an almost unperceivable manner, but maintained her goddess composure. "Seiya, calm yourself this instant!" she ordered, in a tone that didn't leave room for argument.

Seiya had the grace to look vexed, slumping his shoulders, with the eyes of a guilty puppy. "Sorry," he murmured.

Athena and her three Bronze Saints were gathered in their usual meeting place at the Kido Mansion, a spacious room in pastel colors furnished with two large couches, several comfortable chairs, and a large TV screen. It resembled a living room more than a meeting room, in Hyoga's opinion, seeming more appropriate for a tea party than for defense planning. Personally, he couldn't discuss unpleasant war business while slumped comfortably on a soft couch; he usually preferred to stand, back against the wall and arms crossed over his chest.

But now, Hyoga held his left arm protectively. His wrist had been sprained on the fight earlier today, which was particularly painful. He disregarded his many other bruises and cuts as an everyday occurrence of being a warrior – much as, say, a secretary would consider taking phone messages as a normal part of her job description.

His fellow Saints were banged up, too, but nothing out of the norm. Seiya had an open cut on his temple, which he would have to get stitches on as soon as this meeting was over. Shiryu had a large gash on his right leg (another candidate for stitches) from a piece of glass that had found itself embedded there earlier; they had removed the glass already, but the cut hadn't quite stopped bleeding yet.

'_One more couch cover for takeout, please, and include fries with that'_, Hyoga mentally ordered to no one in particular. He wondered - for the thousandth time - why did Saori insist in having a pale cream-colored couch, instead of, say, _burgundy_, when three constantly bleeding boys sat on. He also wondered whether the Kido Mansion's laundry helpers had a highly efficient product to remove blood stains from fabrics, or whether they had an endless supply of new couch covers stacked somewhere.

"I agree with Seiya," Shiryu said. "Phoenix has been crossing us and thwarting our plans for far too long. He used to be just an inconvenience—"

"—Yeah, having someone trying to kill you at every turn, I'd call that an inconvenience…" interrupted Seiya.

"… But instead of letting it go, he becomes more dangerous and more vicious as time passes."

"And he's not gonna stop anytime soon!" Seiya added, anger evident in his voice.

Hyoga thought about that. He reluctantly admitted to himself, his friends were right. Ikki's games would not stop, they just would get increasingly worse, if history was anything to go by.

Every since Phoenix Ikki showed up in their lives in that fateful Galactic Tournament, when he had declared his unending hate towards the three of them – to this day, the 'why' wasn't very clear to Hyoga – Ikki had been a major thorn on their side. He had tried to kill them all, he had stolen the Sagittarius Gold Cloth piece by piece, he had set the Dark Saints after them… and that was just the "Nice to meet you" part, the beginning.

Two years later, they were still fighting. It had been one confrontation after another, non-stop. Sometimes, Phoenix attacked them because he was after something for his personal use. Like the highly dangerous Inferno Wand, which the Saints were trying to steal from the museum for safekeeping, to prevent evil, while Ikki was also trying to steal it for, well, _causing_ evil, he supposed. And other times, Ikki had no apparent personal interest in the fight at hand, save for the wish to oppose the Bronze Saints, the joy of seeing them miserable or (hopefully) dead. Like when he exploded one of their training locations, just for provocation's sake, in-between major confrontations. Or when he provided useful tactical information to Dmitri Kozlov, a wacko fellow countrymen that had plans to take over Tokyo and enslave everybody. Kozlov turned out to be more a joke than a concern – Phoenix knew that before the rest of them did, Hyoga was certain. Ikki had not hoped for Kozlov to win – his only purpose had been to cause trouble for the Saints and be a pain in the ass.

So far, Phoenix hadn't been able to kill the Saints, nor the Saints had been able to neutralize Ikki. Both sides were very powerful, hard to beat, and each new battle – there have been many already – brought a lot a pain to both sides. Personally, Hyoga would much rather end this civilly, with everyone _alive_ at the end. As much of a bastard as Ikki was, Hyoga had no desire to see him dead. He saw the killing of a human being as the very last alternative, the only thing left to do when a bad person got irredeemable. Was Phoenix irredeemable already? He didn't know what to think. Seiya and Shiryu did not share his hesitation on the attack, he knew. They were good guys, but at this point they would have no problem burying a sword into Ikki's heart, and be done with the headache.

While Hyoga had been lost in his thoughts, the three other people in the room had kept arguing. Well, _arguing_ might not be the right word, as they were all in agreement: Ikki had to be stopped, and soon. Hyoga tuned back in the conversation.

"—his new alliance with the Hatori Group is most worrying," Saori was saying, in a lecture mode. "They had been low in our radar because, frankly, they did not have the resources to be a real concern to us, and we didn't take their threats seriously. Until now. Thanks to Phoenix, they now possess a large quantity of ytterbite, scandium and palladium... and you well know what that means."

Hyoga certainly did, and he had a sprained wrist to prove it. This Hatori Group, as far as he knew, was a bunch of rich Japanese businessmen seeking power, willing and ready to eliminate anyone standing in their way – namely the Saints. There had been a rumor concerning a special weapon that they were supposedly developing, a rumor that the Saints guffawed about and, along with the Kido Foundation, decided to ignore.

The idea was, a weapon that fired some kind of shotgun shells, with shots made of a special combination of rare metals. These small metal balls were supposed to penetrate Cloths (whether Bronze, Silver or Gold) as easily as a sharp knife into hot butter. Well, at least that was the theory. Hyoga didn't know anything about the chemistry part, but he knew that the metals and other ingredients involved were rare, expensive, and very difficult to obtain, regardless of the money available to buy them.

Well, they had learned that Phoenix was helping these guys too, now. (Why wasn't that surprising?) And they got the word that the local university – the only place in all of Japan that had any amount of some of those metals – was about to be attacked. That same morning. No time to finish breakfast or anything; with a clank of chairs flipping backwards, knives dropped in plates and mugs crashing on the floor (more stains for the poor helpers to clean!), they rushed to the university to try and prevent the theft.

They got there in time, all right. In time to get a good beating by mercenaries (who were left unconscious at the end, but still), and in time to see the thieves getting into a van with bags full of the metals. Ikki was amongst them, predictably, and had the gull to smile and wink an eye at them, before slamming the van door shut and having it speed off.

The worst part is, that morning, there had also been an explosion meant for them. Ikki had known that they were coming (were they that predictable?) and had the Geochemistry lab rigged with a bomb. The three Saints figured it out quickly enough to avoid it, but they hadn't had enough time to save the people inside the lab. Nine people had been injured, three of which were still fighting for their lives in the hospital. One girl, a Japanese Geology student named Mina Takeshi, hadn't been so lucky; she died in the explosion.

Hyoga sighed. Innocent lives were lost all the time, in the crossfire of battles that weren't theirs. Hyoga witnessed it often enough, and tried to tell himself that it was a sad and unavoidable part of the fight for peace. But he never got used to it, never ceased to feel responsible, berating himself for not being able to save them. He could rationalize it as much as he liked during daytime, but victims like Mina Takeshi haunted his sleep with nightmares. The Russian boy shivered at the thought.

He realized that he had tuned out of the conversation – again – and decided to contribute. "On their own, it is unlikely that the Hatori Group will acquire the remaining metals necessary to produce this weapon," he said. The others ceased to talk to listen, as usual. They knew that Hyoga was a man not to waste words, and when he spoke, his words were worth listening to. "They have plenty of money and power, but little else. Without Ikki's contacts, they won't go far. But with his assistance, not only they will get the metals, but whatever else they might need – knowledge, information, resources, people with the expertise and without the morals. If Phoenix will help them, they will succeed in creating that weapon, I'm sure of it. And then, our sacred Cloths will be as good as tissue paper to protect us."

Silence in the room, with the boys and Athena staring at each other, weighting those words of doom.

"We cannot allow Ikki to help these people any more," Seiya stated. "No matter what."

"And how exactly will we stop him, Mister Obvious?" Shiryu asked.

"Asking 'pretty please' would not be the way, that's for damn sure," Seiya said, a little irritated.

"Right, asking nicely wouldn't work. But, to fight?" Shiryu argued. "We have been fighting the guy for two years, and got nowhere yet. If we kick his ass, he'll kick ours in return, all of us will probably evade permanent injury and death, and go back to our respective homes to nurse our wounds. It wouldn't be any different than what we've been doing already."

Seiya counted on his fingers. "Okay: one, talking nicely won't help, and two, trying to beat it out of him won't help. What is option three to stop Ikki? And options four and five, if possible?..."

"We could convince him using reason," Saori said. "Somehow. Maybe finding out what's in it for him, and using that as an incentive."

"Nothing would be _in it_ for him, Saori," Shiryu said. "He would only lose the perfect opportunity to do us some real damage. Reasoning with him would bring us nothing but laughter on his part."

"In theory, we could try appealing to his higher nature; to the good, selfless man deep inside him," Hyoga said, but did not quite buy his own words.

Seiya snorted. "The evil bastard doesn't have a higher nature."

Hyoga wasn't about to argue that.

"What could we threaten him with?" Shiryu asked. "Help me out here. He's not afraid of physical pain and discomfort, obviously."

"Or death," Seiya supplied.

"He wouldn't fear to lose possessions, or anything material," Saori thought out loud. "There is nothing that I know of that he is attached to. And he cannot be bought with money – I've already tried that."

"Power, influence, respect, are not a problem for him, either," Shiryu added. "If he lost any of it one day, he'd get it back with his fists the next day."

"He has no family or friends to be ashamed of him," Hyoga said. If _he_ had done something terrible, and his enemy had threatened to tell his mother about it (were she still alive), or one of the Saints, or Isaac, or Camus… it would most definitely be efficient blackmail. The opinion of his loved ones mattered immensely to Hyoga, and he wouldn't bear being rejected by them. "His only associations are for convenience, and temporary at that."

"He has no family or friends that we could _threaten to hurt_, therefore," Shiryu said. Hyoga shivered with the horrid idea.

"Everyone has a weakness," Saori said. "There has to be _something_ that we can use against him. Something to fear; something of value to lose."

"His conscience. His dignity. His good relationship with humanity. Nope, all lost already," Seiya said unhelpfully.

"No friends, huh?" Hyoga said, mostly to himself. "That must be horrible. I can't imagine what it must feel like." Simply put, the people he loved were his whole world; the ultimate reason to live for. If he didn't have them – gods forbid that from ever happening – what would there be left for him?

"Hyoga," Seiya said in a threatening tone, advancing slowly on the blonde, "if you dare to feel sorry for that sick bastard after everything that he's done to us, I'll kick your ass into next week!"

The Russian raised his hands a little over his head, palms exposed in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not feeling sorry for him, I was just… wondering, you know."

"Hey guys… I think I might have something. Possibly." Shiryu said, hesitaton clear in his voice.

Hyoga looked at him. Shiryu's eyes were wide, unseeing and a bit glassy. It was a look of someone who just started to remember something very important, and was still searching his memory for more information.

"It's probably nothing, but…" Shiryu hesitated.

"Spit it out!" demanded Seiya impatiently. "Whatever it is, must be better than the big 'nothing' that we have now."

"Do you remember that day when we fought Fazook and his lackeys?" he asked the two boys.

"Of course," said Hyoga." That's guy who could control sand. What about him?"

"At some point I was on my own facing him, while you and Seiya were taking care of his men. He managed to hit me with a blast of sand. I had my eyes closed, but some of the sand got in from under my eyelids anyway, and I was momentarily blinded."

"Good thing that you have plenty of experience with blindness, my friend!" Seiya laughed. "You could write a book about that!"

"Oh, shut up, Seiya," Shiryu said half-heartedly. "So I was blinded, writhing in the floor in agony—"

"—Another everyday occurrence," teased Seiya.

Shiryu ignored him, "—and Fazook felt it was a great time to give me one of those long speeches, before killing me."

"Not quite an everyday occurrence, but yep, I've been there plenty of times myself," mumbled Seiya in a humorous tone.

If these boys had not been capable of seeing their disastrous lives and frequent near-deaths with a bit of humor, they'd all be crazy by now, frothing by their mouths, Hyoga considered. If they had survived at all, that is. In their highly unusual situation, a frequent dose of misplaced humor was not a bad thing.

"Anyway," Shiryu continued. "I forgot the gist of the speech – honestly I wasn't paying much attention, busy thinking on a way to defeat him – but I distinctly remember one thing. He made a reference to a supposed brother of Ikki."

"WHAT?" Saori, Seiya and Hyoga exclaimed at the same time.

"What did he say exactly?" Saori demanded.

"Not much, and it could have been just an expression. He said something on the lines of, "Right now you are as weak and helpless as an injured bird… no, worse than that: more helpless and pathetic than Ikki's little brother!"

"Ikki has a little brother?" Hyoga exclaimed. He had never heard of such a thing.

"Why didn't you ever say so before?" Saori cried, a mix of disbelief, reproval and impatience in her voice.

"Because I always thought of it as, I don't know, a figure of speech, a nonsensical comparison that Fazook invented right there and then." Shiryu ran his fingers through his hair, sighing in self-reproval. "I never thought there _was_ an actual brother."

"And now you conveniently remembered this fact," Saori said with impatience.

"We are grasping at straws here, Saori," Shiryu said. "What can I say?" Another deep sigh.

The girl took a deep calming breath, straightened her spine and shoulders up, and assumed the calm, appropriate, in-control goddess demeanor again. "Okay, we don't know if Phoenix's brother's existence is fact or fiction, but now we have something to work with. My Saints, this is your highest priority right now. I want you out of this Mansion within the next half hour, starting your research. If Phoenix Ikki indeed has a brother, you must find out. Talk with your contacts, and the contacts of your contacts if necessary. Visit the orphanage where Ikki was raised; ask about a younger sibling, or a protégé. Sneak into their archives and read everything there is to read about Ikki. Find out if Ikki has any long-term acquaintances nowadays. Use your imagination; just find me something, will you?"

The boys nodded solemnly. "Yes, Saori," Pegasus and Dragon said at the same time, and were already on their feet, their expressions already in duty-mode.

Hyoga felt unease about what hadn't been said. "Ahem. Supposing that there is a brother, and that we find out all about him. Then what?"

Silence. The three Saints looked at Saori, holding their breath, waiting for her reply. The silence only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to stretch on forever.

She finally broke it. "Then we will take him. And we will use him, in any way we need to use him, to get through to Ikki. In the name of the greater good."

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: Wow, Chapter 1 came out much longer than I expected! I didn't mean to write Hyoga having so many humorous thoughts, in a fic that aims to be dramatic, but it just happened that way, and I decided not to fight it.

Reviews welcome and appreciated! :-)


	2. The Postman's Visit

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

Rating: T for language and violence, and minor sexual references.

Warnings: A possible Hyoga/Shun slash pairing. It might not happen, but if it does, it will be on the platonic, sweet side. I'll let the boys decide for themselves.

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**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 2 – The Postman's Visit**

Ikki found himself in front of the familiar green building for the third time that afternoon. He was finally convinced that no one had been following him; it was safe enough to enter. He had spent quite some time walking around the neighborhood, in a random pattern, pretending a casualness he didn't feel. If anyone had been after him, he would have caught them by now.

Of course, like he did often, he had employed extra security measures by wearing a uniform; this time it was a postman outfit – hot and scratchy, not to mention undignified. The cap completely hid his dark blue hair. Someone like him could never be too paranoid.

Outfits like this had two advantages: the biggest one is that they disguised his appearance, making it harder for his enemies to track him down and follow him – and, he realized, a tall muscular guy with wild dark blue hair did not exactly blend in with the environment. The uniforms also allowed him easy and unnoticed entrance practically anywhere (no one questioned why the mailman was there.)

But how real postmen managed to wear such appalling clothes every day, it was beyond him.

Ikki adjusted the postman bag on his shoulder. He had packed a couple of weapons inside it (basic necessities), along with an evil little present for the one he was visiting. He smirked, picturing the gift and the reaction it would surely cause. His visit was unannounced and unexpected; someone was in for a little surprise.

He climbed the eight floors of stairs (he never trusted elevators, as it was a great potential way to trap an enemy) and walked in the dark hall of flickering lights toward apartment number 86. He tried the door, which was locked – as he expected. He did not have a key, but it didn't take much fumbling to get it unlocked. Even with a variety of internal locks, no door held this knight back for too long.

He stepped into the apartment. Silence all around. It didn't take him long to determine that the place was empty. 'He probably didn't go far," Ikki thought. Well, there was nothing to do but wait. He had time.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: This chapter is teensy, I know, but I felt that this chunk of story deserved its own place. There will be another update very soon, possibly today!


	3. Brothers

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

Rating: T for language and violence, and minor sexual references.

Warnings: A possible Hyoga/Shun slash pairing. It might not happen, but if it does, it will be on the platonic, sweet side. I'll let the boys decide for themselves.

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**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 3 – Brothers**

Half an hour later, Ikki heard the front door open and someone walk in. In a few seconds, the boy came into the living room. When he saw Ikki standing there, he stopped in his tracks with a loud gasp and fear in his too-expressive eyes. A moment later, however, his eyes showed recognition and his lips split into a huge grin.

"Nii-san!" the green-haired boy exclaimed, and sped like a freight train towards the visitor, projecting himself into his arms. "Nii-san, you finally came! I'm so happy to see you!"

Ikki laughed. "I'm happy to see you too, Shun." Trust his little brother to display affection and excitement so spontaneously, without holding back in the least! He had always been like this, since he was a toddler: so warm, so open with his feelings, so loving. All that Ikki was not. He pressed his brother a little tighter to his chest, relishing the love and warmth that were so rare in his life.

For Shun was the only person in this world who actually felt _happy_ upon seeing him; the only one who would even think of hugging him. Ikki's presence was received by others in a vastly different manner, which usually included Cosmo-related attacks, the employment of weapons, taunts and insults. And fear, of course. While Shun excitedly ran towards him, most would run just as fast in the opposite direction.

"You almost made my heart stop – I thought there was a stranger in my living room!" The kid looked up at him with big, bright green eyes full of adoration. "I can't believe you're here. I missed you so much!" He buried his face on Ikki's chest.

While running his fingers through his brother's hair, lightly massaging his scalp, Ikki felt an alien sensation. He didn't know what it was. Something seemed to have lodged in his throat, constricting it, and there was a funny pain in his chest. He thought back of his most recent fights, trying to recall any particular attacks that could have caused any chest or throat injury, but could think of none.

Was he… oh hell… feeling emotional? Ikki snorted at the ridiculous idea. Obviously not! He was a cold, emotionless man, with the fortitude of a rock; anyone who knew him would agree. Just because he was currently being attacked with massive quantities of affection, that didn't mean he would succumb and be weak. That just wasn't him. Yes, the pain in his chest (which was a little more pronounced now) must have been a particularly vicious kick or attack that he had forgotten about. He would just ignore it until it passed, which is how he dealt with most injuries.

He loved the little tyke, of course. How could he not? How could _anyone_ not adore this boy with huge eyes, irises that reflected his very soul; this sensitive boy who gave so much love freely? Someone so pure, so innocent. In Ikki's world, everyone was pretty much the opposite: malicious, unforgiving, selfish, impersonal, deceitful. And often hateful, vengeful, evil. His brother was a little star in a universe of otherwise complete darkness. His shining star.

How it happened that two so very different people were born from the same father and mother, Ikki would never know.

"I don't suppose you will tell me what on earth you are doing in a mailman costume?" Shun said, bright amusement in his voice. Ikki gave him a serious, piercing look for a reply. "Of course not," Shun laughed. "The same way you didn't explain the 'pizza delivery guy' costume you wore last time you were here. Or the plumber outfit, before that."

"Shun, I already told you, you don't want to kn—"

"—'I don't want to know'. Yeah, you said that a million times. But I think I've finally figured it out."

"You have?" said Ikki, raising his eyebrows. He seriously doubted it, but would humor the younger boy. "Then what is your theory?"

The kid gave him a knowing smile, blushing slightly. "I think you have a girlfriend who has these strange fantasies involving you dressing up in costumes."

"Shun!" Did his baby brother just _say that_?

He blushed a little pinker. "I haven't figured out if you go see her after or before visiting me; I guess she doesn't live far. I think it's pretty funny that you're willing to walk in the streets like this, but hey, as long as you're having fun…"

"Shun!" he exclaimed again. For once, Ikki was speechless. Sex was not something that he and his brother chatted about; not at all, let alone casually. First, because his private life was his own business; and second, his brother was still a _child_.

"Okay, _boyfriend_ then. It doesn't matter; it's none of my business. Hey, would you like some coffee?" he said, deliberately changing the subject and already waltzing towards the kitchen.

Ikki was speechless again. He shook his head; Shun was obviously growing up.

Okay, so perhaps sixteen years old was not a child anymore. He, at sixteen, has seen and experienced more of this ugly world than your average man of fifty. Right now he was only twenty-three, but felt two hundred. He had been just a kid when he was sent for training at the Death Queen Island, and that hell-on-earth experience changed him forever, in so many ways.

Shun, on the other hand, was extremely lucky not to have been included in the program. He had been dismissed as a potential knight for being too sensitive, too frail, a likely candidate to die in the first month of training. So they let him grow up in the orphanage instead. Shun had not had a happy and pleasant life, exactly, but at least he had been safe, and his soul remained intact.

In comparison to other boys who underwent training to become knights, or other orphans for that matter, Shun had led a safe and sheltered live, and knew nothing of the evils of the world. Ikki wouldn't have had it any other way.

As soon as Ikki got his Phoenix Cloth and was done with his training, he took Shun from the orphanage, and had been taking care of him ever since. Well, in a manner of speaking.

He walked into the kitchen. The teenager had already pulled out two large mugs from the cupboard, and was currently multitasking by grinding coffee beans and fiddling with the coffee pot settings. When he visited, Shun always brewed the strong black beverage that Ikki was so fond of.

Shun was not only great at making coffee, he was also an excellent cook, and could look after himself in a domestic environment just fine. It was no wonder, since he had lived by himself for years. They had never lived together, except for the very beginning, right after Ikki took him from the orphanage. It had become immediately clear that Ikki's vicinity was nowhere for a boy to grow up in. Not only Ikki would have been a horrible example for his younger brother, that with his life of crime and war, but much worse: his many enemies would represent a constant threat for the youngster. Ikki realized early on that Shun would only be safe away from him, as far as possible in fact, and sent him to live by himself. At that point, Ikki hired help to keep an eye on him (maids who would come once a day, cook and clean, then leave), but Shun had outgrown that a long time ago. So he took care of him financially, and protected him in so many ways that Shun would probably never know. But he could not offer much of his presence in his life.

Shun, by nature very friendly and very social, so used to living with many people in the orphanage, did not thrive in his new solitude. He always hated living by himself. Most all, he longed to live with the brother he adored, and couldn't understand why Ikki's "work" wouldn't allow for it. The poor kid never quite gave up begging to go live with his big brother. It broke Ikki's heart to see him so sad – _'No,'_ he corrected that thought, _'my heart is strong and unbreakable.'_ But what could he have done?

As if reading his very thoughts, Shun turned from the counter, a mug full of the steaming, heavenly aromatic beverage in hand. He extended his arm, offering it to Ikki, then looked up at him with big eyes full of hurt. That look alone brought unfamiliar feelings on guilt on Ikki. "I tried to contact you many times, you know," Shun murmured, in a tone that showed hesitation to sound accusing, despite the fact that the words were just that.

Ikki sighed, placing the hot mug on the table behind him. He knew where this was going.

"I mailed several notes to that P.O. box you told me to," Shun continued, "but I didn't hear back from you."

"That's because I've been really busy, Shun. I asked you to only write if it was an _emergency_. Inviting me for a social visit does not constitute an emergency."

"But I haven't seen you in ages!" the boy complained. "It has been three months, Ikki! I had no idea where you were, or even if you were okay!"

_I was okay; but the twenty or so people that I killed during that time, not so much._ But he couldn't say that. Instead, he said: "I wish I could see you more often, too, but you know that I can't. You know that I'm traveling all the time, dealing with many important things at once."

_For instance, stealing rare metals from universities, exploding laboratories, assisting in the construction of a weapon that will turn the world of all Saints upside down._ But Shun didn't need to know that. Most definitely not.

"But then you could tell me where you were at any given moment, and I'd go to you!"

_And then we could do brotherly things together, like kidnapping and torturing leads for information._

"Shun, it's not like I'm sitting in a hotel room somewhere, doing nothing. I work long hours, and I'm on call twenty-four hours a day. I just don't have much personal time. You know that."

_And when I have, I use it to make the Bronze Saints' life hell._ _One_ _must make good use of every minute._

Shun sighed in defeat. "Okay, whatever. But explain to me again _why_ I cannot at least call you. And don't tell me that your company doesn't have a telephone."

_I'm not with a company, I work for myself. _"Of course they do. But calls are meant for business only, they don't allow for personal stuff. And since I travel most of the time, I wouldn't be in the office to take your call, would I?"

"Someone could write down a message," Shun tried, unsure.

"Yeah, right. Like they would."

Shun took a sip of his coffee. "Fair enough. They how about this: I buy a phone for this place, and you use a pay phone to call me?"

_And give my enemies an easy way to connect us and to track you down? No, thanks. _Ikki sipped his own coffee. It was delicious. "Most of the places I go to are remote, Shun. They don't have many pay phones."

"But when you are here in Tokyo—"

"Okay, that is enough!"

Shun looked guilty. "I guess it's too late. I figured you would oppose, so I took the initiative." He waved his head towards the small counter on the corner, to point at something.

A telephone.

Ikki's eyes went wide.

.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: Thank you so much for all reviewers – your support keeps me going, more than you know! I'm in a row, so the next update will come sooner than you expect [winks].


	4. Chocolate and Cherry Cake

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

Rating: T for language and violence, and minor sexual references.

Warnings: A possible Hyoga/Shun slash pairing. It might not happen, but if it does, it will be on the platonic, sweet side. I'll let the boys decide for themselves.

.

**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 4 – Chocolate and Cherry Cake**

Ikki's eyes went wide.

A telephone. Plugged on the wall. On the side there was even a pale yellow notepad and fancy looking pen.

"You bought a _telephone_?" He looked with incredulity at Shun, who shrugged.

_Of all the idiotic, imbecilic things!... _With a grunt of rage, he crossed the kitchen in two steps, and proceeded to violently yank the plug and throw the equipment on the floor.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Shun was clearly shocked at his behavior.

"You will NOT own a telephone," he demanded, pointing a finger at Shun's face. "I prohibit you!"

Oh, no. Now the boy started bawling, slumping gainst the wall and hiding his face on his hands. Ikki must have scared him… and now the guilty feelings returned.

"Why are you acting like this?" Shun said in between sobs. "This is not like you!"

_Oh, you have no idea of what I am really like. No idea. _Ikki sighed, and moved towards his brother. He gently grabbed his chin and tilted it up. "Look at me," he said softly. "I'm really sorry I overreacted. I was just trying to protect you."

"Against a piece of electronic equipment?" Shun asked in disbelief, still crying.

Ikki thought quickly. "I hear that these things… give you brain cancer. Many studies have proven it. And they cause fires, too. All the time. An old couple got killed just last week here in Tokyo, in a home fire caused by the malfunction on a phone line. I saw it on the news."

What he couldn't say was, _'Somebody out there might track down any calls made to me, and therefore find out that I have a brother. And then, they would have no scruples to hurt you and probably kill you, to get to me.' _

Shun stopped crying, but stepped away from his older brother and looked at him with incredulity. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

Ikki wondered if it was it possible that this stupid appliance had already compromised Shun's safety. Was it prudent to move, to find another apartment for him? "When did you get this thing installed?" Ikki wanted to know.

"Only yesterday."

"Have you made any calls yet?"

"No, as I don't have your number, do I? And nobody else to call."

Ikki sighed in relief. If the equipment hadn't been used, it was safe to say that no one had tracked him down. Shun was safe. No damage had been done, after all.

The kid really had no idea of the kind of world Ikki lived in. He still believed that his brother worked with sales and consulting, which Ikki always kept very vague. He probably thought that his associates were friendly people in suits, who exchanged cookies during coffee break.

He didn't know for how much longer Shun would buy into these fabrications. He was no longer a child, and one of these days, he would connect A and B. Ikki hated thinking about that; he couldn't bear the idea of his brother finding out the horrible truth about him. Still, it was inevitable. Of course, with his soft heart and good nature, Shun would never accept the monster that he had for a brother; would never accept or forgive his many crimes. Then he would lose him for good… But until then, he would try not to worry about it, or it would drive him crazy.

Shun broke the silence. "I'm not a little kid anymore, you know?" He paused for a moment, as if considering what to say next. "I know that all of these are just excuses." He looked at his brother with all the hurt of the world in is green eyes. "My not being able to call you, or visit you, or find you if I have to. I've never even been to your house, let alone live together with you. I don't even have an address to write to, only a PO box! I know that this is because… because…" his voice broke, and was obviously fighting new tears. He took a deep breath to continue. "Because you don't _want me_!" At that, he resumed sobbing and bawling his eyes out.

Ikki rolled his eyes upwards. If he were a religious person – which he was certainly not – he would be praying for strength and patience right about now.

"I'm just an inc-inconvenience to you," he continued in-between sobs, "a bo-bother, and you don't want to-to waste your ti-time with me. You cer-certainly have better things to do than ba-babysit me."

Ikki did his best to ignore the guilt that his little brother always managed to bring out on him. He gently pulled the green head against his chest and proceeded to pet it, like he would do to a wounded animal. Not that he _would _pet a wounded animal, obviously; most likely put it out of its misery, or just leave it to die. That was just an _expression_ that occurred to him. He wrapped his muscular arms around the soft, shaking shoulders, that didn't offer resistance.

"You know that that is NOT true, Shun. I'm offended if you really believe something like that about me." He wasn't a demonstrative man, by any means, but the current situation demanded it. "I love you very much," he let it out. The words were true, but he was so unused to saying them, he couldn't help but feel awkward – another alien feeling for him. "You are the most important person in this world to me. You should know that. If I don't spend more time with you, it's really because I can't."

"You promise?" the boy asked, his voice strangled, making an audible effort to stop his sobs.

"Of course I promise."

They stayed like that for a little while, silent, with Ikki rubbing soothing circles on his back and petting his hair, and Shun clinging to him for dear life, sighing at the comforting touches.

'I really need to start being more thoughtful of him', Ikki thought. He told himself to keep in mind that his brother didn't have anyone else in the world. He went to school, and Ikki assumed that he had friends, but that was different than having someone to rely on. Shun was alone just like him, but while Ikki was self-sufficient and needed very little to go by, none of it being dependent on anyone else, Shun was just the opposite. He was like a little kid without a mother: sensitive, starved for love and attention, and – if today was any indication – had self-doubt and self-esteem issues. Ikki frowned. They would have to address those issues soon, before they became an impairment on the boy's life. Not now, but very soon. Perhaps after that weapon was done developing… and after the Saints were out of their way… That would be the perfect time to spend some real quality time with his brother. Yes, they would do that.

Then he remembered. "Hey, I brought you something. I think you are gonna like it."

Shun raised his still wet face to look at him with watery green eyes full of expectation. "You did? What is it?"

Ikki disentangled himself from the slight boy, then walked to the living room where he had left his mail bag. He came back with a pink paper box, and opened it.

Shun's eyes immediately brightened with joy. "You brought me a cake!"

"Chocolate and cherries. Your favorite. Yesterday I was passing by the bakery, so I thought—"

His sentence was unfinished by the sudden strangling hold on his neck, from a very excited and jumping boy. His brother was so easily pleased... "You thought about me! Thank you! I looove this cake!"

Shun got two sets of plates and utensils from the cupboard, and was placing them on the counter.

"Oh no, that is for you. I don't want cake," Ikki refused.

"Of course you do! You can't let me eat by myself."

"But I don't like chocolate," he lied.

"Since when?" Shun laughed. He knew his brother better than that. "Everybody loves chocolate cake," he said in the same tone that one would say: "Case closed". With that, he pushed a plate with a generous portion of cake into his brother's hands.

Ikki sighed dramatically, but took the plate and the fork, and ate a bite.

Hmmmmmm. Shun was right – that stuff was really good.

Now the brat was looking at him and laughing, pleased with himself.

Ikki pictured what he must look like right now, doing something as self-indulgent and NOT goal-oriented as sitting on the kitchen floor like a child (it just seemed more spontaneous than using the table), laughing and joking with his brother, stuffing himself with chocolate and cherry cake, while hearing light-hearted tales of what Shun has been up to in school.

If his enemies could see him now, his ability to inspire terror and respect would be severely compromised. He would never be able to live it down.

.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N:


	5. Found Out

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

.

**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 5 – Found Out**

Seiya was getting more and more frustrated. He had spent all morning in this archival room that smelled of mold and dust, going through dozens of boxes of papers, but so far hadn't found a thing.

This was the orphanage where Ikki Amamiya had grown up in, before he went for training. It wasn't the same orphanage where he and his friends had been in, so they had not met Ikki as children. If he indeed had a brother, it was safe to assume that he had grown up here, too.

But so far, Seiya hadn't found a vestige of the brother, or for that matter, of Ikki himself. These people kept a neat file for each orphan that had ever resided there, but covering a twenty-year period, Seiya had found no trace of any Amamiya boy. That meant that Ikki had, at some point, gotten rid of his own file, and possibly of his brother's.

The orphanage director, a tiny Japanese woman on her forties, had been firm about preserving the orphanage's confidentiality, having refused to answer questions or to allow Seiya to go through their archives. But when he offered her a check with a large sum, "from the Kido Foundation to help caring for these poor orphans", the woman had changed her mind, saying that there was no harm in helping "the kind young man". From there on, he had been granted full access to their records and their staff.

None of the staff, unfortunately, remembered Ikki, because they were all relatively new; none of the old timers still worked there. Seiya was going to have to press the director for the address of one of those people, if they were still alive. It was just a matter of time until he found someone who had known Ikki as a child, and whether or not he had a brother.

He and the others had been at it for days, searching for any public records to do with Ikki, but the elusive man had managed not to leave a trace of himself anywhere, as if he didn't exist. It was infuriating! Seiya wished they could simply search any individual with the same family name, but Amamiya was not uncommon; it would be nearly impossible to take that approach.

As Seiya closed a box of archives he had finished searching, and was putting it back on the shelf, ready to pick up another one, the door opened and Shiryu walked in. He hadn't been expecting to see his friend until tonight at the mansion.

"Shiryu? What are you doing here?"

The Chinese saw him and smiled, a victorious gleam in his eyes. Shiryu grabbed his friend's arm in a gesture of familiarity, shaking it lightly with excitement. "We found him, Seiya! We found Ikki's brother!"

"What? We did?" Seiya's eyes grew wide, soon followed by realization and an also wide grin. "Who found him, and how?"

"I don't know any details yet. Saori asked me to come after you. She'll tell us all about it in the meeting."

The two friends could not leave the dusty room quickly enough, heading as fast as possible back to the Kido Mansion.

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

Seiya couldn't stop fidgeting and moving around incessantly. He knew he probably resembled a bouncy toddler in his high chair, who could not wait to be let out and allowed to play. But it was hard to be patient when they were about to hear such important news. Saori refused to say a word until the last of them arrived for the meeting.

"I'm here!" Hyoga rushed through the door. _Finally._ "Did I miss anything?"

"No, we were just waiting for you," Shiryu said.

"Okay, everyone, let's get started," Saori prompted. "Please sit down." The boys eagerly found a spot in the couch, looking at her in expectation. The girl, still standing as if she were a school teacher about to give a lecture, continued: "As the three of you have heard, the Kido Foundation was able to verify that Ikki Amamiya does, indeed, have a brother. While you were in the streets searching, we were searching as well, using our computers and our many resources."

"Who is he?" Seiya asked.

Saori threw him a reproving look for the interruption, and continued, ignoring the question. "But even with all our technology, personal and financial resources, we simply couldn't find any public records on Ikki. There was nothing out there to be found; the man has, somehow, erased all traces of his past and of his existence."

"As if he were a ghost," Shiryu said.

"No doubt, Ikki went through great lengths to protect himself" the goddess continued, "to remain untraceable, and to assure that his adversaries had no access to information that could be used against him. However," she picked up a sheet of paper that had been lying on the table in the corner, and handed it to them, "today our computers picked this up."

Seiya, who was sitting in the middle, grabbed the sheet and held it for his two companions to see it. He glanced through it, a color copy of a form with the logo of the phone company on top, filled out with a green pen in juvenile, girlish handwriting. It was in the name of a Shun Amamiya.

"This is a new registration with the phone company, filed yesterday," Saori explained. "As soon as it became active, our computers traced it and picked it up. It was really lucky that we had programmed our system to search for any information on Ikki, as this account was closed mere hours after it became active. As of now, this record no longer exists; it has been erased from the phone company's system."

Seiya read the document. It included the person's residential address, ID number, date of birth, occupation, and billing information. The account was to be billed to Ikki Yamamiya, under the same address, and the relationship line said "brother".

"We really got him," Shiryu said mostly to himself, as if he couldn't believe it.

"The bugger is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, to leave evidence like this behind," said Seiya.

"So what we can gather from this paper is that his name is Shun Amamiya," Hyoga said, "he is sixteen, which makes him seven years younger than Ikki—"

"—and two years younger than us," said Seiya.

"He is still a student," Hyoga continued, "and he doesn't live far from here, maybe twenty minutes or so. He doesn't live with Ikki, or else it would be his brother's name here instead. He lives by himself, or with a roommate, but given Ikki's trust issues, I bet there is no roommate. Since the account was cancelled and erased so shortly after it was filed, it's clear that it was Shun's idea, without consulting his brother first. Also, as evidenced by the billing information, and for the fact that he is still a student, it's safe to say that Ikki provides for him financially."

"And you gathered all that from this piece of paper?" Seiya shouldn't be surprised; Hyoga had always been quick at figuring things out from very little information.

"Beyond that, now we have proof that Ikki protects his younger brother fiercely," Hyoga said, pensive. "It's not casual; he has given this much thought. He goes through great lengths to hide Shun's association with himself. Now the question is: why?"

"Surely this Shun is a knight too, so he can very well defend himself, in case of an attack. Do you think there is any chance that he is not a knight?"

"Are you kidding?" Seiya exclaimed. "No chance. This is _miniature Ikki_ that we are talking about. He is not a Saint, or else we would have heard about him, but he is surely a knight. Even if he didn't go through formal training, which I highly doubt, Ikki would have trained him himself."

"Seiya is right," Saori said. "We cannot underestimate him just because his fame as a warrior hasn't reached us yet, or because he is two years younger than yourselves. Keep in mind that he is Ikki's brother, and in all likelihood, a younger version of him, just as dangerous and malicious. Just assume that all the knowledge that Ikki possesses, all the connections with shady characters, all the fighting skills and techniques, have been passed to Shun."

"Oh, shit," Seiya said, rolling his eyes. "One Amamiya was plenty to make our lives hell. And now we have two!"

Shiryu laughed with gusto, while Saori tried hard to stifle a giggle.

"Forgive me, Saori," Hyoga intervened, "but aren't we getting a bit ahead of ourselves here? We have no evidence that this Shun is a warrior at all. Yes, in all likelihood he is, but until we know more, we cannot discard the possibility that he is only a regular civilian, and has nothing to do with Ikki's criminal activties."

Shiryu laughed heartily again, this time followed by Seiya. When he calmed, the Chinese said, "Hyoga is about to tell us that he also believes in Santa Claus and in the Eastern Bunny. Just wait!"

"And probably on the Tooth Fairy, and in the Land of Oz, with wizard, yellow brick road and all!" Seiya added, still chuckling.

"That's not possible, Hyoga," said Saori, her expression serious, but unable to hide certain amusement from her eyes, "so don't worry about it."

Hyoga looked as if he wasn't convinced, but refrained himself to say anything further.

"I'm still curious as to why Ikki bothered to hide this brother all this time," Shiryu said. "Does this Shun fight at all, maybe using a different name? Or maybe he battles someplace other than here, and that's why we haven't heard of him?"

"I'm sure that his identity and his connection with Ikki has been kept a secret," Saori said, "but he himself have not been in hiding. No warrior stays away from battle. Shun must be active, more than likely working directly with his brother. In fact, when you meet him, you might recognize him from previous battles."

"And his connection with Ikki has had to be kept secret because?..." Hyoga asked. "Could it be brotherly concern?"

Seiya snorted. "As if Ikki had a bone in his body that was capable of concern for another human being. Hyoga, you are too romantic!"

"Likely, it has been an effort on Ikki's part to preserve his best alliance. Keep in mind, Ikki doesn't work alone. He needs allies to reach his objectives. And he cannot trust most of them, I'm sure of it, as he only associates with criminal kinds that are after money, power, and the wish to cause mayhem. These people have no morals, and don't hesitate to betray an ally when it is to their convenience. Ikki probably sees his brother as the only person that he can fully trust, and to him that is invaluable, worth going through a lot of trouble to preserve. Shun can surely protect himself, but being seen as Ikki's brother would only make him a target.

"That makes sense," Shiryu said.

"And now, what do we do?" Seiya asked.

"Now, boys, we have a mission to accomplish."

All eyes were on her. Seiya's skin was prickling in excitement over the word 'mission'.

"This is the plan," she said. "You will go to this address on the phone registration form. You will use the element of surprise to attack. The idea _is_ _not_ to have a long battle and defeat the warrior, but to dominate him as quickly as possible and to take him with you."

"We are kidnapping the guy?" Hyoga asked. He looked unease about it.

"You can call it that, yes," she confirmed. "Try not to injury him too much in the process, as we will be better off using those methods later on, to coerce Ikki to bid our will."

"Are you talking about torture?" Hyoga was scandalized.

Seiya was surprised, too. Not that he wouldn't take pleasure in torturing Ikki's brother – that, he would. But usually, the Bronze Saints battled their enemies, and afterwards each went his own way, at least when both parties survived. But this kidnapping business, followed by torture and blackmail, that was something new for him. Did Saori really just said that?...

"As unpleasant and condemnable as it sounds," she said, having the grace to look guilty, "I feel that, at this time, the ends justify the means. Ikki has gotten out of control, and getting him under control is now our top priority. And Shun is our only way of getting to him, unless you have a better suggestion."

Nobody answered.

"I don't need to remind you about the weapon that Ikki is helping the Hatory Group build, or the consequences for all Saints if they succeed. Not to mention all the other trouble that he gives us. Have you already forgotten about the girl who was killed in the lab explosion?"

The boys gave her chastised looks; Hyoga too, but he still didn't look fully convinced.

"I thought not. How many more people are going to die or get injured, unless we stop that man? This is the only way, boys."

"I hate to say it," Shiryu said, "but Saori is right. In a normal circumstance I would refuse, but under the circumstances, this is completely justified."

"And it's not like we'll be harming any good person," Seiya said. "This little shit is surely a monster, just like his brother. I have no problem going after him, and teaching him a good lesson or two."

"I still think you are way over your heads," Hyoga said. "Don't take me wrong. Rationally, I have to agree with Saori's reasoning, it makes perfect sense. But something in my gut tells me that this plan is really wrong, and cannot be justified."

"Thankfully, this is not a democracy," Shiryu mumbled.

"Hyoga, if we followed your sentimental instincts, we would not accomplish much half of the time," Seiya accused. "You should have learned by now that, given what we do, being soft will only get you killed."

Saori looked angry. "Hyoga, if you want out of this mission, now is the time to tell me. I can make do with Shiryu and Seiya; what we cannot have is someone going against the plan, risking to undermine the whole effort."

Hyoga thought about it. "No, Saori. You can count me in. I swore to follow you and do your bidding, and if you think this is the way to go, I'll trust your wisdom and do as you say."

She smiled at him. "Good."

"Do we bring the guy here?" Shiryu asked.

"Goodness, no," Saori said. "The Kido Foundation cannot be associated with this in any way; I believe I don't have to tell you the negative impact that the company would suffer if any word of this reached the press. Because of that, you will take Shun Amamiya to one of our properties that is under an undisclosed owner – I'll give you the address in a moment – and you will stay there until this situation is resolved. You will not contact me on the meantime. If something goes wrong, I can deny any involvement, for the good of the Foundation."

"Then how do we know what to do at all times?" Hyoga asked. "Surely this won't be a simple matter, nor will it be resolved in a day. We will be unsure on how to proceed, as it develops."

"You have my permission to use your good judgment and decide what is the best course of action at any given moment," Saori said. "And you have my permission to be as ruthless as you need to be. I know that this situation is new for all of us, and you might have doubts on how to proceed at times, but I trust you to figure it out and do your best. Remember: all that we are trying to do here is forcing Ikki to desist fighting us. That should not be too difficult, as long as you play your cards smartly, and you do not hesitate in using his brother to accomplish that."

"When are we doing this?" Shiryu asked.

Saori smiled. "Tonight. Go pack your bags for a long stay, and get ready."

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: Thank you *so much* to all reviewers for your support, especially KaL KeY, Axia and Sana for your constant encouragement. Shun sends you a smile and a kiss on the cheek for that!

I literally squeal in delight when I get a new review, especially if it is a detailed one! :-)

Next, poor Shun is in for a bad surprise…


	6. Face Off Seiya's POV

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

**.**

**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 6 – Face-Off (Seiya's POV)**

It was around eleven p.m. when Seiya marched to the apartment in which Ikki's brother supposedly lived. Hyoga and Shiryu had come with him, but they had decided it would be best for one of them to go alone – after all, they still believed in a fair fight, one on one. The chosen one with the task to fight Shun and bring him back alive was Seiya. The other two would be waiting in the car, parked in front of the building.

His friends had insisted that they should at least stay nearby for backup, in case Shun was more powerful than they expected, but Seiya had got offended at that; he was man enough to handle a fight by himself. He was one of Athena's Saints, for goddess' sake. No matter how strong a warrior Shun might be, Seiya would confront him and win, or die trying. His two friends finally agreed in doing things his way, but only as long as he headed upstairs wearing his Pegasus Cloth.

'This is it," he thought, reaching the front door. He wondered just how difficult this battle was going to be. Not that he was concerned or scared, obviously – that, he almost never was. The problem was that Athena had ordered them to bring Shun in as unharmed as possible, since his skin was to be marred _afterwards_, deliberately, to manipulate Ikki. But how was he to do battle without hurting the guy? That's something that might prove to be a challenge. He wouldn't be able to simply grab the man, tie him up and bring him downstairs, unless he was a really heavy sleeper… or was heavily drunk. No, that was hoping for too much. The warrior was going to defend himself fiercely, no doubt attacking Seiya with fury, pissed off for being attacked in his own home. And then Seiya would have to defend himself, evidently.

He sighed. He would just have to play it by ear.

With that thought, he opened the door, which wasn't even locked. The first room was the kitchen, and it was completely dark. He stepped in and walked through its length, stopping by the doorway that led to the other room.

He saw it was the living room, and it was also completely dark, except for a small table lamp. It illuminated the pages of a book (which probably taught some type of war tactics, Seiya guessed). The book was held by a slight figure with long hair, sitting in a couch, and seeming completely absorbed in the reading. Was that Shun, or a roommate? He didn't know what the man was supposed to look like.

He saw the instant when the figure in the couch tensed his shoulders, and abruptly moved his head towards him. He saw a flash of teeth.

"Nii-san! You are here!" That was practically screamed, with too much enthusiasm. "What are you doing just standing there?"

His voice was soft, almost girlish. Obviously, he was not able to see Seiya well in the dark, and assumed he was his brother. He had to be speaking about Ikki; now Seiya knew he had found the right guy. But assuming that this was Ikki, why would he be so excited? In Seiya's opinion, no one in their right mind should be happy to see Phoenix, ever – not even his evil brother.

"And what is this ridiculous outfit that you are wearing this time?" the man laughed. _Laughed!_ "Nii-san, this girlfriend of yours really seems to like strange things…"

"How dare you laugh at my sacred Cloth?" Seiya spoke slowly, enunciating each word, anger dripping from his mouth. The man dropped the book on the floor and quickly stood up. "Ridiculous outfit, is it?" Seiya continued.

"You—you are not Ikki!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at Seiya.

That. The final proof. And, as everyone instinctively knew, only very aggressive people pointed fingers at others' faces. Any body language book would tell you that. Not that Seiya had read any, but Hyoga did, and shared the knowledge with him afterwards. "Impressive observation skills, warrior. No, I'm not Ikki, thank all the stars."

"Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my apartment?" His voice sounded… what? Demanding. Controlled. Calm. Dangerous.

"I am Pegasus Seiya," he thundered with pride, "one of the three Bronze Saints and loyal servant of the Goddess Athena. And who are you?"

The other man refused to answer right away, making Seiya wait. Such a lack of respect! Seiya closed his fists in an attempt to rein his temper. He noticed Shun's silhouette, which was quite slim for a knight. He couldn't see much more in the dark, but Shun wasn't very muscular. He mentally filed that information for future reference. It probably meant that Shun's strength was in his agility, or perhaps he had another skill that didn't require much brutal force. Not that he wasn't strong; Seiya was sure he was. Plenty of knights were slim, but still had impressive strength, and those were sometimes the most powerful ones.

After a few long moments, the man finally spoke, still with his calm, dangerous voice (effeminate as it was). "I have never heard of that."

Now the obnoxious man was adding insult to injury! What did he mean, have never heard of that? Was he referring to Seiya himself, to Athena, or to the Bronze Saints? He had to be well familiar with all three; any knight was, so that was obviously meant as an insult, a way to diminish Seiya's status, to say that he wasn't important.

"Oh, please – so the Bronze Saints are beneath you, huh? May I ask what group are you part of, that is so much superior to mine?"

"Group?"

"Are you a Saint?"

"…"

The bastard refused to answer! If there was one thing that Seiya hated, was to be ignored. Seiya clenched his fists again. "You still have not answered my other question: who are you?"

"Look man, whoever you are, you have no right to barge into my apartment – in the middle of the night, no less – talking nonsense and asking me my name. So get out."

Insults, again! He was implying that Seiya was a nobody, too unimportant to come over and confront him. He was not arguing, not getting angry, not attacking – he was simply _dismissing him_. Nobody dismissed Seiya like that. "It is Shun Amamiya, I already know that. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth." His voice dripped with sarcasm and anger. "You won't tell me which group you belong to, fine! I don't care. But at least have the courtesy to tell me what your constellation is, warrior!"

"Constellation?" the other repeated. "Are you asking about my zodiac sign, or something like that? And how do you know my name?"

Seiya was fuming by now! So far he had got no answers from Shun. He didn't need them, but it was common courtesy for a knight to introduce himself to his enemy. This man had no manners whatsoever, or maybe he was doing this intentionally to insult Seiya.

"Get out of here. Please," Shun said, his voice in the same calm and firm tone. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't care. Just please go where you came from, and let's pretend this never happened, okay?"

Did he sound a bit… frightened? Could it be? Seiya shook himself. Of course not! Shun was still being a prick, not in the mood to deal with Seiya, thinking he could get away with dismissing him. Funny that he said 'please' twice… but, Seiya figured, that was just sarcastic. He himself had used that word in that context, several times; for instance, if he wanted to be left alone and Shiryu wanted to talk, sometimes he said things like "Shiryu, get out of my hair, please, will you?"

"You will not get away from me so easily, warrior," Seiya said, assuming the pose of one who's ready for a fight. "You think that you're so superior to me: then prove it! Put on your Cloth or armor, and show me what you have!"

"Stop calling me that!" Shun yelled. It was the first time he had raised his voice, aside from that time when he thought he was talking to Ikki. "I don't understand what you want from me!"

"Good thing you went to the point, Amamiya: what I want from you," Seiya said. "I came here to take you with me, and take you I will, or I'm not Pegasus Seiya. Now, enough talk! Prepare yourself to fight me!"

"I – I don't want to fight!"

That much he had made clear, already. "You don't have a choice! Now, will you put your armor on, or will you make this too easy for me?"

"Please. Leave me alone. Or I'll—or I'll scream!"

He was surely referring to his personal technique. Seiya also had to yell his Pegasus Meteor Fist, for it to work. But 'I'll scream' was a funny, odd way to call it.

Shun made a move, not to go find his armor, but merely to pick up his book from the floor. Seiya sighed. Tidying up his place could not wait, of course; it was a priority over less relevant things, say, _giving Seiya his undivided attention_. "Fine. If you refuse to wear your armor, I'll take mine off. I don't need an advantage to defeat you, Amamiya."

Seiya proceeded to remove his Cloth, piece by piece, until he was only wearing his favorite outfit: skin-tight red shirt and faded blue jeans. Then he stood facing Shun, that was sneakily moving to the left side of the room. "I'm ready for you, warrior. Come and get me!"

"I said I don't want to fight! Leave me the hell alone!"

His voice sounded loud and screechy now, and if Seiya didn't know better, he would think that it sounded like… panic? What an absurd notion! Toddlers also screeched like that, protesting when they didn't get their way – Shun was just being stubborn and irritating. Well, Seiya was tired of arguing. "If you don't attack first, then I will!"

He began stalking after Shun, who seemed determined to avoid a confrontation – after all that insinuation about his superior powers! – by running towards the adjacent room. He probably had weapons there, Seiya figured. In any case, Seiya was faster and reached the door first. At that, Shun threw the book in his hands at him, hitting him in the chest. What stupid kind of attack was _that_? Was the book poisoned, perhaps, made to release its venom if hitting a person a certain way?

Apparently encouraged by his successful aim, Shun proceeded to grab books from the bookshelf and throw them in succession at Seiya. The brunette was too astonished at the absurdity of it to react, so he just stood there for several seconds, letting the books hit him. He didn't understand what was the meaning of that.

Shun took the opportunity and grabbed a glass vase from the coffee table, then threw it at his head, but Seiya avoided it in time. The vase shattered against the mirror behind him, both breaking it into a million pieces and causing a ruckus of a noise. Seiya was distracted by that, and next the room was immerse in complete darkness; his opponent had obviously had obviously done something to the table light. A second later, a metallic thing hit him in the lower legs – it had to be the table light – and he heard Shun running towards the kitchen. Seiya ran after him in the dark, and not being familiar with the layout, he stumbled upon the couch and went over it, causing it to tumble over in the process.

It took him only a moment to get to the kitchen, where he could hear Shun fumbling with the door in the dark, trying to open it to escape. Oh no, he wouldn't have that!

"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"

Seiya ran towards Shun and blindly fired several quick punches, aiming for various parts of his body – belly, chest, lower back, shoulder blades, face, head. Before long, his opponent threw himself on the floor; surely a trick to avoid any more hits, and to get some distance from Seiya from the floor level. So he didn't waste time, and continued attacking Shun on the floor.

But then he suddenly stopped. This was extremely weird, and it took Seiya a moment to analyze what was happening. He noticed that Shun was not moving anymore, but just lying there, receiving the punches. Even in the dark, it became obvious that his opponent was out cold.

But how was that even possible? Those were just simple Pegasus Meteor Fists; no half-decent knight was defeated by a few of those, and Seiya hadn't even put a lot of strength into them! And this was Ikki's brother, so by logic he had to be a powerful warrior, right?

Seiya belatedly realized another thing: as he had thrown punches at Shun, he felt arms acting as shields in front of him. Shun had been defending himself, not fighting back. The whole thing had happened so quickly, he was only noticing these details now.

Seiya blindly touched along the walls, looking for the light switch. His stomach was suddenly heavy with apprehension. He didn't know what he would see when he turned on the lights, but something told him he wouldn't like it.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: Next chapter will show Shun's POV on what happened here.

A big hug to my reviewers! Thank you for liking my story and showing your support!

Milla


	7. Face Off Shun's POV

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

.

**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 7 – Face-Off (Shun's POV)**

Shun yawned. He looked at the clock on the wall: ten past eleven. He had had a long day today, and was super tired. He would just finish re-reading this chapter, then go to bed. The extra effort with the studying had not been exactly fun, but it had been worth it; now he felt much better prepared for the History test tomorrow. Now there was a change he might get an A.

Hs stomach grumbled. He should probably have had dinner, instead of studying for hours in a row; he hadn't realized how hungry he was. But now it was far too late for cooking. He didn't think he had any bread left to make a quick sandwich. Popcorn, maybe? Nah, the thought didn't sound appealing. He had run out of apples, too. Maybe he would drink a glass of milk before going to bed, just to have something in his belly.

Suddenly, the skin on the back of his neck prickled, and the little pale hairs in his arms rose, like the fur of a cat in alarm. He knew that sensation – the one you felt when you were being secretly watched. It was an almost palpable feeling, and his body tensed, now certain that he wasn't alone. He raised his head abruptly, and his eyes went straight to the door that led to the kitchen.

Someone was standing in the doorway. For a millisecond, he froze; he stopped breathing, and his heart threatened to stop beating, out of fright. But then he released the air in his lungs with relief, remembering all the other times when his nii-san scared him like that. It was Ikki! His heart filled with joy, and he felt his lips opening in a grin. He would have to tell Ikki to stop scaring him like that, for goddess' sake, but only later – right now he was too excited to see his older brother.

"Nii-san! You are here!"

It occurred to him how strange it was that Ikki had come so shortly after his last visit. Shun had come to expect seeing his brother only in an interval of months, which hurt his feelings more than the other knew. But hey, maybe his tears and his complaints had hit the mark this time, and Ikki would make an effort to come see him more often!

Why was Ikki standing in the dark? Why wasn't he saying anything, or coming to give him a hug? "What are you doing just standing there?"

It was hard to see much at all; Shun squinted his eyes, but Ikki was standing in a dark spot. He could only see his silhouette. As usual, he was wearing a costume, and this one looked particularly funny. What's with the stupid tiara? What was Ikki going for, anyway? "And what is this ridiculous outfit that you are wearing this time?" Shun laughed, amused at how his brother was willing to make a complete fool of himself to please a girl, not only going along with her silly sexual fantasies, but dressing the part and going on the street for all to see. "Nii-san, this girlfriend of yours really seems to like strange things…"

"How dare you laugh at my sacred Cloth?" the person at the door spat, with a voice that was clearly _not_ Ikki's, making Shun jump in surprise. "Ridiculous outfit, is it?" the stranger added.

What on earth?... He dropped the book on the floor and quickly rose from the couch. "You—you are not Ikki!" he exclaimed, pointing at the stranger that had allowed himself into his home, uninvited.

"Impressive observation skills, warrior. No, I'm not Ikki, thank all the stars."

Oh, Shun did not like this! Not at all. He was frightened, and very much so. His mind worked in overdrive, and his eyes didn't leave the invader even to blink. Who was this guy? Was he a burglar? Was he after money, things to sell? If that was the case, Shun surely hoped that he would just take what he wanted and leave. If he were violent, Shun would be in trouble, as he had never been the athletic type; pretty much anyone would best of him in a fight, including girls.

Not that he had been in many fights in his life; getting beaten up did not appeal to him one bit, so he always did his best to avoid them. That was a challenge when he was a kid living in the orphanage; there were plenty of attention-starved, angry kids there, just looking for a conflict. Shun learned very quickly – after a few bad experiences that left him bruised and bleeding – how to stay out of their way, or at least how to pacify them in case of a problem.

Another thought occurred to him – a really bad one. What if this guy was a rapist? Shun shivered in horror at the mere idea. That was certainly not the way he wanted his first time to be, thank you very much. _'Please, let him be just a non-violent burglar'_, he prayed to all gods.

He remembered something that his brother taught him long ago. When they were still kids, Ikki once said: "When somebody bullies you, do not show fear. That will only make things worse. It will tell the bully that you're weak, that you don't believe you can defend himself against him. That is the equivalent of giving him the green light to hurt you. When you're scared, pretend not to be; just fake it. Pretend that you're feeling brave, calm and confident, that he's not a threat to you. It might not always spare you from a fight, or from getting beaten… But if you show fear, Shun, the abuse will always be greater."

That advice had helped him quite a bit in the past, and now he would follow it again. He would fake cool confidence. He just hoped he could be convincing enough! "Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my apartment?" he tried.

"I am Pegasus Seiya," the supposed burglar said, "one of the three Bronze Saints and loyal servant of the Goddess Athena. And who are you?"

Okay, apparently not a burglar, but a mental institution escapee. What kind of name was Pegasus Seiya? And what about saints and a goddess and servants of bronze?... That sounded like a religion, or more like a cult. Yes, he sounded like a religious fanatic. But what with the silly outfit and the crazy talk, he was probably just nuts.

This wasn't good.

When he saw the guy clench his fists in anger, Shun began shaking. He could practically feel waves of violence coming off of him. Had he done something wrong? He did his best to still his shaking, and to control his voice. How was he supposed to answer the question? "I—I have never heard of that."

Oh, no – now the man looked even angrier.

"Oh, please – so the Bronze Saints are beneath you, huh? May I ask what group are you part of, that is so much superior to mine?"

"Group?" For the tenth time_, what was he_ _talking about_?

"Are you a Saint?"

Shun once again didn't know what to reply. What kind of question was that? He didn't perform miracles, no, and he certainly wasn't perfect; and as far as he knew, there were no little old ladies lighting candles and praying to him, so no, he was not a saint. This was getting weirder and weirder!

How could he get past this maniac and get out of here? He was still barring the only exit – through the kitchen. Maybe he could make a run for the bedroom, and lock himself in. But then what? He had no telephone, thanks to Ikki, so he could not call the police. He was on the eighth floor, and the neighboring apartments were not connected from the outside in any way. Locking himself in might buy him some time, but crazy man over there he might knock the door down in an instant… It might still be worth a shot, anyway.

Screaming wouldn't help, he knew by experience; he screamed every time he saw a spider on the wall – and pretty loudly, too – but never did a neighbor come and check whether he was okay.

To physically try and remove the man from his property?... Forget it. Shun just wasn't very strong. Asking 'pretty please' would not help. If at least he had a weapon!

If he couldn't escape, and couldn't confront the guy in a fight, he had to at least defend himself somehow. And he better think fast, judging by the man's increasing anger. Any weapon would be better than nothing. Right now, that book on the floor seemed like the best and closest one available, even though it wasn't much.

Maybe he would just ask the man to leave. Sometimes if you raised your voice and showed some authority, people listened to you. It sounded too simple, but you never knew what others responded to.

"You still have not answered my other question: who are you?" the invader demanded.

_Calm. Confidence. I'm in control. Even breaths._ "Look man, whoever you are, you have no right to barge into my apartment – in the middle of the night, no less – talking nonsense and asking me my name. So get out." _Wow, that came out confident._

"It is Shun Amamiya, I already know that. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth. You won't tell me which group you belong to, fine! I don't care. But at least have the courtesy to tell me what your constellation is, warrior!"

His name! How the hell did he know his name? And what did that fact mean? He did not randomly barge in, did he? Had he met this guy before?...

Nothing made sense. More of the nonsense talk. From all the subjects under the sun, the other felt the need to bring up the _horoscope_, for crying out loud. It was so absurd that Shun almost laughed – he would have, weren't he so frightened. What was he expected to reply to that? _'I'm a virgo; my horoscope for today predicted a surreal experience involving a home invasion by a guy dressed for Halloween. And you – what is your sign?' _ What Shun did say, trying to sound polite but still firm, was: "Constellation? Are you asking about my zodiac sign, or something like that? And how do you know my name?"

Even in the dark, Shun could all but see steam coming out of the man's nose – he looked _that_ angry. Again – had he said something wrong? He had no idea how to handle this guy! He noticed that his whole body was shaking again. He knew this was going to come to violence, he just knew it.

"Get out of here. Please," Shun said, making a huge effort to keep his voice in the same calm and firm tone, and to hide his shaking. Where was his confident, strong nii-san when he desperately needed him? Shun would have given anything to have Ikki come to his rescue now. "I don't know what's going on, and I don't care. Just please go where you came from, and let's pretend this never happened, okay?" He could hear the fear in his own voice. He couldn't help it, though; his ability to fake was limited.

"You will not get away from me so easily, warrior," the other said, his body language very clear: he was getting ready for a fight. "You think that you're so superior to me: then prove it! Put on your Cloth or armor, and show me what you have!"

"Stop calling me that!" Shun yelled. He shouldn't have yelled! But he was losing it. He could not pretend to be brave anymore; he was freaking out, he wanted to be left alone, he wanted this guy to stop bullying him! But he didn't know how to reply to his questions, which made no sense whatsoever, and he didn't know how to appease the guy. Every time he tried, he just made things worse! "I don't understand what you want from me!" he cried.

"Good thing you went to the point, Amamiya: what I want from you. I came here to take you with me, and take you I will, or I'm not Pegasus Seiya. Now, enough talk! Prepare yourself to fight me!"

Take Shun with him? As in, kidnapping him? And worse – fighting him? Involving violence? No, no, no! "I – I don't want to fight!"

"You don't have a choice! Now, will you put your armor on, or will you make this too easy for me?"

Shun felt like crying. Why would he be expected to own an armor, from all things? Unless he was into Renaissance Fairs and liked to dress as a knight from times past, he certainly did not own one of these things. The knight's sword, yes, would have come quite handy now.

Shun was panicking, he knew that it showed, and he no longer cared. He would have to resort to humiliating himself. "Please. Leave me alone. Or I'll—or I'll scream!"

Seeing the other's countenance – one of a predator ready to attack – Shun knew that his empty threat had fallen into deaf ears. He quickly picked up his book from the floor; maybe it would at least serve as a mild shield.

"Fine. If you refuse to wear your armor, I'll take mine off. I don't need an advantage to defeat you, Amamiya."

Then the guy began to strip, to Shun's puzzlement, right there in the living room. It was just one more of the many things happening that night that Shun didn't understand. Fortunately, the Pegasus man removed the costume, but left the clothes underneath.

He assumed a position of attack. "I'm ready for you, warrior. Come and get me!"

"I said I don't want to fight! Leave me the hell alone!" Shun's shrill cry sounded very undignified, even to himself. His heart was beating wildly, and he was breathing too fast, seemingly unable to supply his lungs with enough oxygen.

"If you don't attack first, then I will!"

The man began crossing the room towards him. For a split second, Shun could finally have a glimpse of his face, since the darkness got less dense as he approached; but he had a very scary expression on, something that spoke of murder and vengeance. Shun would have preferred not seeing it at all! He made a dash to the bedroom, in a panic, but the man was faster and got to the door first.

When the guy made a move to head towards him again, not knowing what else to do, Shun threw the book at him (_'So much for a shield!'_), hitting him squarely in the chest. Well, he didn't know if he had hurt the man or not, but he had stopped on his tracks, staring at the book by his feet. That was good! Shun reached for the bookcase nearby and began throwing books like a madman, hitting some and missing some. Those happened to be his beloved books, which he took such good care of, volumes that he had read and re-read multiple times; but now the important thing was that the man was just standing there, letting himself be hit. It made no sense, but it beat having him come and attack Shun! He hesitated a little with his old copy of Wuthering Heights, but threw it at hit the man's head. Too bad it was a light paperback!

Since the guy was still standing there like an idiot, Shun took the opportunity and looked around quickly: there. He ran to the coffee table and grabbed his favorite vase, and threw it at the man's head. That would hurt way more than Wuthering Heights! Unfortunately, the Pegasus man avoided it in time. The vase shattered against the beautiful French mirror behind him, destroying two of Shun's favorite pieces of art at once. But he didn't have time to lament that now. _Think, Shun; think fast!_ Being semi-deprived of oxygen, that with his panting, made thinking harder than normal.

Now was as good time as any to get to the kitchen and out the door, but theman would just catch up with him before he got far. Was there a way to momentarily disable him?

The light! That was t! Maybe if he turned off the table lamp, getting the room in total darkness, the man would be disoriented, not being familiar with the layout of the room, and therefore having more trouble moving around than Shun. That might give him the time necessary to run out of the apartment and at least reach the stairwell. It wasn't much, but right now it was Shun's only hope.

Without further thought, Shun yanked the cord from the wall, immersing the room in darkness. He threw the table lamp at the man's general direction, as it was a bit heavy and hopefully it would hurt him, delaying him a moment further. Then he made a mad dash for the kitchen. He bumped his foot on the coffee table, which hurt like hell, but he ignored it and kept going. In a few heartbeats he was at the kitchen door; hearing a crash in the other room, he turned the handle in a frenzy, but the door wouldn't open, so he was feeling for the locks in the dark.

Next thing he knew, his attacker was in the kitchen, running towards him.

"Pegasus Meteor Fist!"

And then it was agony. He was being punched everywhere, seemingly all at once. All the air came out of his lungs when he was hit on the belly; before he could breath in again, he felt a huge impact on his chest and heard a crack, and then he felt like his left cheek was being split open. The blows kept raining on him in quick succession, too fast for him to comprehend. One seemed more painful than the other, but he didn't even have time to fully feel the agony of a blow before a new one hit another part of his body. _'He intends to kill me,' _Shun realized; that thought hadn't occurred to him until now. But all he could do was to helplessly throw his arms in front of himself as a shield, which proved useless. Finally, with a blow on the head that made him see stars, an agony too great that made him sure that his head has been split open, the world went truly black. In that split second before losing consciousness, just as his body began to fall, his last thought was:_ 'I'm not going to wake up anymore'._

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: Poor Shun! What did you think? Was this scene better through Seiya's or Shun's POV?

Milla


	8. The Angel

Disclaimer: The Saint Seiya universe is not mine. I'm not trying to make a profit here.

Summary: (AU) Ikki has a personal vendetta against the 3 Bronze Saints. He constantly sabotages their missions and attempts to kill them. Seiya, Hyoga, and Shiryu must put an end to this. On the search for a weakness, they find out that Ikki has a younger, non-warrior brother, Shun. The plan: to kidnap the kid, and to use him to control Phoenix. How far will they go, using an innocent person in the name of the greater good?

.

**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 8 – The Angel**

Hyoga and Shiryu were standing by the entrance of the building, too agitated to wait in the car. Both were a bit nervous about what might be happening upstairs. They had insisted in going with Seiya, but no, the stubborn boy wouldn't allow it, pointing out that a three-against-one fight wouldn't be fair. Hyoga just hoped that his friend wasn't too banged up by now; they had no idea what to expect from Ikki's brother, but surely he was a formidable adversary.

If Seiya took too much longer, Hyoga would have to go after him, even if the shorter Saint got mad at him about it.

When Seiya finally crossed the door into the street, he was not wearing his Pegasus Cloth, and was alone. He was supposed to bring the youngest Amamiya with him, chained up – what had gone wrong?

"What happened?" Shiryu asked.

Seiya walked past them, ignoring the question. He stopped at the end of the sidewalk, his back turned to them, fidgeting with his hands.

"Seiya?" Hyoga asked.

The smaller brunette turned to them. Hyoga didn't see any injures, but his relief was cut short with the paleness in his friend's face; he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

"Are you okay? Where is Amamiya?" Shiryu asked.

"He's upstairs," Seiya said in a low, strange voice. He looked downwards, avoiding their eyes.

"Seiya, you're making me nervous. Talk to us," Hyoga asked.

"Just go upstairs and get him, okay?" Still that low, subdued voice. "I can't—He is—I'll be waiting in the car."

Hyoga and Shiryu exchanged looks, and without a comment they rushed towards the eight floor.

The door was open, and right at the entrance there was a body lying on the floor – Shun Amamiya, no doubt. Both men gasped and ran to him, kneeling by his prone form. Shiryu grabbed his wrist and felt his pulse, nodding to Hyoga that he was alive.

Hyoga could not conciliate what he had expected, with the boy in front of him. He had long green hair framing a face that was pretty, delicate, and shockingly young. Wearing his pajamas – pastel green cotton pants and shirt, with a pattern of cute smiling polar bears – he looked like an innocent kid ready for bed, not the big bad evil brother of the Phoenix Saint. Hyoga shook his head to himself, in denial of what the three of them had done, guilt compressing his chest painfully.

Shun's lower lip was split, an already dry trickle of blood running down his chin. Gently, Hyoga moved some of the green hair away from the left side of his face, to get a better view. His left cheek was badly bruised and swollen, especially over his cheekbone; it wasn't purple yet, but given its rapid discoloration, it would look pretty nasty within a few hours. As far as injuries went, Hyoga couldn't see more than that. He considered removing the boy's shirt, or at least lift it to look for any more bruises, but quickly dismissed the idea; they would take hours to show anyway, and violating the boy's modesty while he was unconscious seemed very wrong. At least no bones seemed broken; no limbs were twisted in odd ways. If there was any internal damage, he had no way of knowing it at this point.

Shiryu felt for Shun's head with light fingers. After finding a spot on the right side and touching it a couple of times, he said "As I thought. He has a small bump. He wouldn't fall unconscious unless he had been hit on the head."

Hyoga couldn't help but feel terrible about this whole thing. Their mission had barely started, and look how out of control it had gotten already! Not that he had ever felt good with the idea. He really hoped that Shun would have no permanent damage from the assault. No matter what kind of person he was, he had done nothing to provoke it, and that put a morally wrong spin on things.

"I doubt that this was really necessary," Shiryu said, breaking the long silence. "Why would Seiya do this?"

"I don't know. But you saw how disturbed he was. Seiya would never hurt someone without a reason." Hyoga couldn't think of any, to be honest, but he had to trust the good intentions of his friend.

"We'll just have to ask him what happened."

"I'll take him," Hyoga said, already moving to pick Shun up. He gently raised Shun by the shoulders, with help from Shiryu, and slipped an arm over his back, while the other hand supported the back of his legs. Hyoga rose; the weight in his arms felt too light, making his guilt worse.

"He is just a kid," Shiryu murmured.

"And judging by his weight, he is no warrior. He is not solid enough," said Hyoga, his brow furrowed. They headed downstairs. "Shiryu, I'm having serious doubts about what we are doing."

The Chinese Saint didn't reply.

As they approached the car, Hyoga saw Seiya on the passenger seat, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression unfriendly and closed.

"I'll drive," Shiryu said, pulling the back door open.

Hyoga deposited the unconscious boy on the backseat, as carefully as possible not to further injure him. He closed the door and walked around the car, getting in on the other side. He maneuvered Shun so that his head was resting on his lap, to protect it from bumping or rolling around with the car's movement.

"Are you gonna tell us what happened now, or are you going to just sit there, looking like you ate a lemon?" Shiryu asked in his typical calm voice, as soon as the car was moving.

Seiya didn't reply.

Shiryu met Hyoga's eyes through the mirror. Somehow, he understood what Hyoga tried to say without words: _leave him alone, just for now_. "O-kay," Shiryu mumbled to himself.

Ten minutes of complete silence later, Seiya exploded. "It wasn't my fault!" he yelled. "He—it was _his_ fault," he turned on his seat and pointed a finger it Shun.

Hyoga instinctively pressed his charge closer to himself, to protect him.

"He kept provoking me, ignoring me, refusing to answer my questions." His voice showed all the agitation that he felt – fast, shaky, uncontrolled. "He—he thought he was too good for dealing with me! _His_ fault, the little shit. I tried to control my temper – and I did, until the end – while he was being infuriating! He made me feel like c—crap, like a nobody. How dared he? The lights were off, I couldn't see a damn thing, and then the only light on was off. Pitch black. He ran, I ran—"

At that point Seiya's voice broke; he bent forward, hid his face on his hands, and then he was gasping for air, panting. Not quite hyperventilating, but almost there.

Shiryu drove to the side of the road and parked the car. He just watched Seiya's emotional meltdown for a few moments, then began rubbing gentle, calming circles on his friend's back, without saying a word. It meant _'I'm at your side, no matter what.'_

Hyoga stayed silent as well. Seeing Shiryu being tender with his friend, he suddenly realized that he had – unconsciously, of course – been softly stroking Shun's hair for a while. He removed his hand as if it had been burnt. He felt a little protective of the boy at the moment, given the circumstances, but he was still the enemy.

Seiya's breathing finally slowed to a more normal rhythm. He still had his face hid in his hands. "It was all _my_ fault. I am a monster."

"Seiya—" Shiryu started, reproval in his tone.

"No, I am. I had such a strong pre-conceived idea of him in my mind. I was so sure to be dealing with a miniature Ikki," Seiya took a deep, shaky breath, "that I never even gave him a chance. I think he didn't understand half of what I said, but I misunderstood, thought he was mocking me." Seiya uncovered his face and turned on his seat, looking at Shun. "I think he was scared the whole time, but back then, I didn't see it. He begged and pleaded not to be a fight… I thought it was because he had better things to do with his time… not because he was a frigging kid in little bear pajamas," his voice broke on the word _bear_, "who never stood a chance against me." He turned back and slumped on the seat, hiding his face in his hands again.

Oh, this poor boy! Hyoga could just imagine the scene: the poor thing begging to be left alone, scared for his life, while Seiya advanced on him. He looked at the delicate face, blood and the rapidly purpling bruise marring the clear, milky complexion, and felt more protective by the minute… while he felt an immense urge to kick Seiya's ass all the way from here to Russia.

"Why did you beat him unconscious?" Hyoga spoke for the first time since he had brought Shun downstairs. He hadn't meant to sound so accusing, but his tone just came out like that.

Seiya took another shaky, deep breath. "I wasn't thinking straight. I was chasing after him in the dark. I was so wired up, so angry. I attacked before he could attack me, or could escape. My Pegasus Meteor Fists are fast; by the time I realized he wasn't defending himself, he was already out of it; it was too late."

"So is that your justification? That you took your sweet time to notice that the guy you were beating to a pulp was not a fighter?" Again, Hyoga did not intend to sound so angry. Why was he so angry, anyway? They were all just following Athena's orders. They were all on the same side, trying to accomplish the same thing.

Shiryu glanced at him through the mirror, and waved his head just a fraction, meaning 'no'. Hyoga understood. He didn't feel very sympathetic towards Seiya right now, but he would do as Shiryu asked.

"I'm not trying to justify it," Seiya said, defeat and shame in his voice. "It has no justification, no excuse. I am a monster. I'm just saying what was going on through my head at the time."

"Only wind, obviously," Hyoga murmured to himself, but he knew that Shiryu had heard.

"Stop with the nonsense, Seiya. You are _not_ a monster," Shiryu said, touching his arm in a gesture of support. "For people like us, the right thing to do is not always evident. We make mistakes, sometimes grave ones. But we cannot beat ourselves over the head with it. We're human. We can only do our best. So we fix what can be fixed, and move on. Okay?"

Hyoga wanted to puke at those words; he _so_ disagreed with them. What Seiya did to Shun was certainly not okay, and dismissing it as a 'normal human mistake' did not sit well with him. What about the consequences of one's actions? Seiya could have killed this cute kid! No, he didn't just think 'cute', risk that – he must be too tired.

Where was he anyway?...

Oh well, he lost his train of thought. All he knew was this: no one would lay a finger on this boy anymore; he would personally make sure of it.

Or his name was not Alexei Hyoga Yukida.

But that was a conversation to have with his friends tomorrow. He ignored the talk that was going on between Seiya and Shiryu on the front seat, closed his eyes, and let the balance of the vehicle lull him to sleep.

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

Darkness. Some kind of motion underneath him. His head wanting to explode. Pain in so many places.

Shun moaned low. He wasn't really awake; he was somewhere blurry, between consciousness and dreams. He didn't know where he was right now, and he didn't care. But why was he hurting? He cracked his eyes open a fraction. He saw an angel over him. He opened his eyes a little wider, with effort. It was a blonde angel with pretty long hair, and the most beautiful face he had ever seen. The angel was asleep, his face leaning against his own shoulder. He noticed the feeling of a hand resting on his hair, and it felt good; it alleviated the splitting headache somewhat. He moved his head just a fraction, to see the angel better, but something inside his head exploded and he went back to oblivion.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N:


	9. Welcome To The Nest

**Disclaimer:** Not trying to make money. Not mine.

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**The Enemy's Little Brother**

**Chapter 9 ****– Welcome to the Nest**

Hyoga entered the small room that had been converted into a cell, carrying the unconscious boy in his arms. Shiryu and Seiya came right behind. He placed him cardefully on the bed, arranging his limbs so he would be comfortable. The three men stood a few moments, studying the small prostrated figure. At last they exchanged glances and, without a word, left the room and locked the door.

They headed towards the furthest room from the cell that, for privacy reasons, they would use as a meeting room. There was a brown couch and two chairs, simple but comfortable; a practical coffee table and a small desk with a phone.

"He needs immediate care," Hyoga started, as soon as he closed the door. "Taking him to a hospital is out of the question, but maybe we should consider asking Mu to come over."

"Absolutely not!" Seiya exclaimed. "We can't involve anyone else on this, Russian. This is a kidnapping, not a tea party at your aunt's place!"

"If we leave him in the state he is," the blonde continued with impatience and a bit of anger, "he might get an infection and die, or maybe one of his ribs is broken and might perforate a lung, or… who knows what else?"

"When one of us gets beaten up badly," the Greek continued, "there is calling Mu over to heal the boo-boo, or rush to the hospital. We take it like men, and heal ourselves the best we can. And we are still alive, aren't we? Why should this idiot get special treatment?

Hyoga grabbed Seiya by his shirt and yanked him close, almost touching noses, his ice blue eyes flashing with anger. "It's because the idiot isn't him, it's you, your mule with wings, who shouldn't have beaten him up in the first place!" he yelled on the other's face. Hyoga wasn't the kind to raise his voice or be aggressive with his friends, but this whole situation was simply mad!

"Hey!" Shiryu interfered, pushing the two away from each other. "Both of you, calm down!"

"It's better to be a mule that does his duty, than a duck that sits back and does nothing, then later dares to complain that the job was't to his liking!" Seiya yelled.

"I am trying to keep our prisoner alive, you imbecile!" the blonde said with his teeth clenched. "We can take a lot of physical punishment because we are Bronze Saints, we have years of training and conditioning… but we have no idea what this boy can stand. Don't assume things just because he is Ikki's brother!"

"I told you both to calm down, please," Shiryu raised his voice. "We are on the same team here, our mission has barely started, and the two of you are already fighting?"

"He started it!" the brown-haired complained in a childish manner, crossing his arms in a defensive manner.

"Hyoga is right," the brunette declared, "it's possible that the boy is not as strong and resistant as one of us. Appearances can be misleading, but judging by his delicate frame, I don't think he is a warrior, or has undergone any advanced physical training. Just in case, it's better to treat him like a civilian, and make sure that his injuries are treated properly."

"See? The voice of reason is at my side!" said Hyoga, with a trace of sarcasm, however he felt a bit calmer.

"But Seiya is also right: we can't bring anyone to see the Amamiya boy. This would be turning someone into an accomplice of an illegal act, from the civilian point of view-"

"-but Mu is not a civilian…" Seiya mumbled.

"- and it could compromise our mission."

"What do you suggest, then?" asked Hyoga.

"I'll be in charge of treating his injuries," offered the Chinese. "My training with Mu on the healing arts is still incomplete, but I have enough knowledge to take care of the young man. Don't worry."

Hyoga took a deep breath, thoughtful, but at last moved his head affirmatively. "All right. Thank you, my friend. Now go at once, he needs you. Take good care of him, ok?"

"There is one more thing," Seiya added quickly, but hesitated to continue. The two men waited. "Before cleaning his blood and all… we should take some pictures, to Phoenix."

"What?" Hyoga was between indignant and incredulous.

"Think about it," he continued. "We want his brother to fear for his safety, for his life. We want him to believe that we are capable of harming the boy-"

"-which we obviously are…" added the blonde, rolling his eyes.

"Intentionally, I mean," Seiya said. "We want him to think that we are being cruel to his brother, and that we'll act worse if he doesn't cooperate. We need to show Phoenix that we are not fooling around! And since the brat is injured anyway… why not take advantage of it?"

The blonde had a Diamond Dust at the tip of his tongue to throw at the shorter guy, but controlled himself bravely. "This – this is disgusting! Revolting! Is this the role that we are gonna play - unscrupulous outlaws willing to do anything to get what we want, even hurt a defenseless child?"

"Defenseless child, my dick!" Seiya yelled. "We are talking about the brother and accomplice of the Phoenix Saint, who kills innocent civilians without remorse! Or have you forgotten Mina Takeshi, that died a few days ago with that bomb in the lab? _She_ was a defenseless child. The younger Amamiya probably assisted the older one to do that. Child… give me a break!"

"Ah Seiya, we don't know if this kid have ever killed someone, we have no proof that he's ever done anything bad! These are just suppositions!" The Russian was about to lose the tiny amount of patience he had left.

"You can let that innocent face and his young age mislead you, and become all sentimental, but someone here needs to be more realistic!"

"Guys, one more time, stop bickering!" Shiryu said. "There is no question that this idea is pretty tasteless."

"Thank you!" the blonde puffed.

"However," the Chinese continued, "as unpleasant as this is, Seiya has a valid point. It would be a mistake to waste this opportunity, Hyoga. A picture of the boy covered in blood and bruises would be much more effective with his brother than a picture of him clean and well taken care of. We want this to end as quickly as possible, for everyone's benefit – including the boy's – so as soon as Phoenix takes us seriously, the better.

"But Shiryu… what sick game is this that you are suggesting? Are we now going to act like thugs, not good men?" the Russian argued, but without much hope, seeing that he was about to lose this battle.

The brunette sighed. "We have behaved like 'good men' with Phoenix for the past couple of years, Hyoga. And we've got nowhere with it. We've failed. If force and violence are the only languages that Phoenix understands, then we need to speak his language, even if we don't like it."

"And I don't know if you have noticed, Russian," Seiya continued, "but this here is a kidnapping. In general, honorable men don't kidnap people, so your good name is already in the mud. Also, kidnappers don't ask 'please'; they pull all the nails of the hostage and send them to his family as a souvenir, if they are uncooperative". And then they cut each finger…"

"Seiya!" the blonde yelled, shocked. "Nobody here is going to touch another finger on that kid, what you've done is enough! How can you talk like that?"

"Of course we don't want to hurt him, Hyoga," Shiryu said. "We'll do whatever we can to make his stay here the least… harmful possible. No matter who he is, he will be treated well. But if it becomes necessary to hurt him, than that's exactly what we will be forced to do. Athena's orders, remember?"

Hyoga was even angrier now. "I already said no! Both of you, listen to me" he said pointing a finger to the face of each friend,"don't you dare touch on a single green strand of hair to harm that boy, or I swear I'll make you regret it!"

"Calm down Hyoga; no one here wants anything bad to come to him," the brunette said. "If at all possible, it will not come to this. It's for this very reason that we cannot waste an opportunity like this, to prove how serious we are without resourcing to cruelty. It's just a few photographs, why is that a big deal? The boy won't even know."

Hyoga looked from one Saint to another, puffing, evaluating his choices. At last he stared at the brunette and sighed. "All right, do it. I don't like this, not even a little bit, but if you both think this will help us send Shun back to his brother sooner… ok.

Shiryu waved his head up and down. "Time to play photographer and then nurse… And you too, go eat something and drink some coffee… it will make you feel better. You look like shit."

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~


	10. Awakening the Beast

**Disclaimer:** Not trying to make money. Not mine.

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**Chapter 10 ****– Awakening the Beast**

Eight-fifteen a.m. Ikki was home, sitting at the small kitchen table on his underwear (light blue boxers), his hair uncombed, reading the newspaper and drinking his cup of coffee. Very strong and bitter, without condiments or any nonsense, cafeinated, bold, and full of flavour. Like himself, of course.

"This piece of shit is full of crap," he complained out loud, slapping the page. "Girl is run over by a car and dies, retired woman had her pention cancelled who knows why, the stockmarket goes up half percent, corrupt polititian gets reelected, company So-and-So filed for bankruptcy, a new ice cream brand goes to market… a ton of advertisements… Fuck, isn't there anything interesting here?"

He only bothered to read that pile of junk daily because, every now and then, he discovered some interesting information that helped him doing business. Some executive he dealt with going on "vacation" to a suspicious country. News from one of his many enemies. An expensive jewel that would be part of an exhibition (and stolen by him). A blackout scheduled for the following day, that might be a great opportunity and give him ideas. Useful information.

He continued sipping the coffee and flicking through the pages, bored. Soon he would have to take a shower, get dressed and leave. He had a meeting with two spoiled daddy's boy millionaires that had contated Hatori Group, proposing an association for the construction of the Alpha Zex 534-L. Ikki would probably tell them to go fuck themselves and give them a good beating, not necessarily in this order, but before they would talk and Ikki would find out if they had a hidden agenda. Just another typical day in the life of Ikki Amamiya.

"A bomb exploded at the shopping mall and killed 17… The price of rice went up five percent… Teenage boy is attacked in his own home and kidnapped… New Spelberg movie at the theaters… Pfffffffffff!" he spit the coffee that he had just sipped, spraying the whole page. "WHAT?" he yelled, bringing the stained newspaper closer to his face. He recognized the living room on the picture in the kidnapping article. "It cannot be!"

Hurriedly he read the article, hoping that he had misunderstood, a horrible feeling possessing him. "Another kidnapping occurs in Tokyo, reflecting the ever raising wave of violence in the city. This time, the victim was attacked inside his own apartment, and supposedly taken from the location last night. The victim, a teenager only fourteen years of age, Shun Amamiya… NOOOOO, SHUUUN!" Ikki howled, a scream of pure anguish that was probably heard three blocks away.

Not his brother! That could not be true! It had to be a mistake!

Ikki continued reading the article as fast as he could, already on his feet as if he were to run into action at any instant, each muscle on his body tense, not believing what he read. A minor living by himself, blah blah blah, the authorities had not been able to locate his family, the neighbors said Shun was a sweet child and was always alone, blah blah blah, the crime was attributed to known gangs but there wasn't proof yet, blah blah blah, the location showed destruction and blood, supposedly the victim's, they didn't know if he was still alive…

"SHUUUN!" he howled again, desperate, with a pain so consuming that he never imagined feeling one day. This had to be a nightmare. The only person, the only thing he loved in this shitty world could not be dead! Could not!

He turned the page and there it was, a small picture of his brother, just a face shot, with his well-known angelical smile and those large green eyes that seemed to be looking right at him. Ikki ran a finger through the image, caressing it. He himself had taken that photo a few months ago, at the kid's request, to subscribe in some sort of club at school (Ikki hadn't bothered to pay attention on what it was, distracted with his own problems at the time.)

Shun had wanted to photograph his brother too, in fact he had insisted, he remembered well. "Ikki, why don't you ever want to take a picture with me? He had asked, in a childish whiny voice. "And why don't you let me keep any photos of you? I bought this portrait frame for the living room, but I have no photo of yours to put there!" Ikki got grumpy and refused, of course; he could not leave behind a trail, any object that might link Shun to him. To protect him. He lied to his younger brother, saying that he hated photos and he just wasn't photogenic. Shun had tried to argue, saying that even if Ikki came out horrendously ugly in a photo, he wouldn't mind – in fact he would love the photo, because that would be his big brother and Shun loved him. Ikki ended up being a bit rude to end that conversation that, and as usual, led to tears from the younger, who always were so sensitive.

Now, seeing that photo on the newspaper, not knowing if Shun was alive or dead, Ikki regretted his rude behavior so much, from this occasion and so many others. He should have offered nothing but love and tenderness to his younger brother, that only had him to count on in this world. But Ikki certainly was not a loving man, let alone tender. He was a rough man, made tough by a life of battles, where survival was always at stake, and he would get crushed if he lowered his guard even if briefly. There was no space in his world for hugs, blue birds and cotton candy.

Shun had always deserved so much more than Ikki had to offer. But even being who he were, Ikki should have made a stronger effort, being present more often, being more open to show just how much he loved the sensitive, affectionate little runt. He should never have said one single rude word to him.

Be as it may, even if Ikki didn't deserve it, the kid obviously idolized him. And now Ikki had failed him. Failed in his duty to protect him, to keep him safe. He would never forgive himself for this!

He read the whole article, breathing heavily with his heart racing, but he found nothing else useful there. No one knew shit. "Fuck!" he yelled, thrown the damn paper across the kitchen and pushed the table angrily, turning it over and causing the breakfast china to fall over, breaking against the tile floor loudly.

He would find out himself what had happened, he didn't need these useless, shitty reporters to inform him. He ran to his bedroom; he would wear the first thing he'd come across and would go after his brother. The unlucky person who was disgraceful enough to pass in front of him and make him waste a moment, would die.

Who was the bastard son of a bitch who had attacked Shun?

Ah, he would get the demon who dared mess with his little brother, he thought, putting on the faded pair of jeans that he wore the day before and had left on the floor. Or demons. He would find them and tear them apart with his bare hands, would tear off every limb from their bodies and would beat them dead. .. then he would make barbecue out of their remains, would turn them into dust, and somehow would bring them back to life and tear them apart all over again. And after that, he thought, putting on a tight black t-shirt and already grabbing his heavy leather boots, at full speed, he would do the same to their families.

Some idiot made the mistake of picking on the pup of a wild beast, and soon would find out that this would be a fatal mistake – he thought, running out the door.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~


	11. A New Reality

**Disclaimer:** I'm not trying to make money. Shun is not mine. Hyoga is not mine. Ikki is not mine (damn it!).

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**Chapter 11 ****– A New Reality**

His conscience was returning slowly, and with it, an intolerable agony that took over him. It felt like lightning fell over his head and split it in two.

The boy moaned out loud and instinctively raised his hands to his head; but instead of relief, the movement only worsened the pain. A different kind of pain, acute, on his right wrist and on his chest, by his ribs. The boy screamed and lethis arms fall back on the bed. He would stay as still as possible waiting for that to pass. What the hell had happened to him?

In a jolt he remembered everything. His eyes opened wide in a panic, and his breathing became erratic. The shadow on his living room, that he thought to be his brother. The stranger with a metal costume. The absurd things he said, complete nonsense. The feeling of impending danger, of a catastrophe that he felt he could not prevent.

The chase. Flight. Fear. The accusations that he did not understand. The fight for his life. Finally, the attack. The blows that rained mercilessly ands impossibly painful and fast on him. His complete inability to defend himself. And at last, darkness, that blessed him and freed him of the agony.

Then, nothing.

He had been lucky. Once, he remembered, still not daring to move where he lay, Ikki had been very sick. He had fell down some stairs (a very high stairwell, considering the results), he was very injured and with a high fever. Shun had taken care of him, had not moved away from his bed until he recovered. But even unconscious, Ikki had trashed about, and obviously had been suffering. Shun had been very lucky not to feel a thing when he was unconscious.

Except for a few moments, he remembered. When he had dreamt. Yes! It had being a marvelous dream, where an extremely beautiful blonde angel was protecting him and giving him peace. Shun smiled at the memory. For some reason, even with his body hurting like hell during this dream, it had been worth it.

Then, unconsciousness again… until he woke up here.

But here, where? What was this place? How did he get here?

He felt a soft mattress underneath him, so he was obviously on a bed. He did not recognize the grey roof with peeling paint. Slowly, afraid that the horrible paid would return, he turned his head a little to have a look around. He was in a simple bedroom that he also did not recognize, a chair and a simple desk being the only furniture besides the bed. For light source, there was only a dim lamp hanging from the ceiling – the room had no windows. There were two doors, both closed. The air was a little stuffy, smelling like dust and mold; smelling like a room that had not been used in a long time.

But the place didn't seem dirty, and the sheet underneath him was a clean white. In any case, it was far from being a cozy, inviting room.

If his brother were the one to have found him, he would not have brought Shun to a place like this. And this did not look like a hospital or clinic, at all. Was it possible that a neighbor had found him and brought him to his apartment? Or perhaps…

No.

Was he, perhaps, still at the mercy of that maniac?

The probability of that being the case filled him with horror. His breathing became erractic again, fear making him pant noisily. The green eyes were goggled, and his injured body began trembling with anxiety. He tried grabbing the sheet underneath him for support.

"Aaaaahhh!", his left wrist made him scream. He released the sheet. Was his wrist broken?

It did not take long for Shun to find out who had him. Within a few seconds, one of the doors opened wide and a stranger came in, banging it behind him and rushing towards him. Shun panicked, fearing a new attack. Igfnoring the pain that this caused, he sat back in a jump and moved back against the wall as far as he could go, keeping as much distance as possible between himself and the stranger. He raised the two open hands in front of him, in a mute request for the other to stop – and also as a barrier to hide behind. An involuntary sob escaped from his lips.

The stranger stopped where he were – already next to the bed – and raised his hands as if showing that he was not armed. A gesture that no longer made literal sense at this day and age, but its meaning remained the same: "I don't intend to hurt you".

Shun noticed that the man was a few years older than himself – early twenties – tall, asian features – perhaps Chinese – attractive, with very long, black, straight hair.

"I've heard a scream," the brunette said after a few moments. "Do you feel any pain?" His voice was calm, almost zen, and was as disarming as his previous gesture.

The stranger's posture and manner did not seem threatening. The boy hesitated for a moment, but ended up relaxing a bit. "My wrist," he said shyly, in a wisp of a voice.

"Can I see?" the brunette asked, yet without moving.

Shun waved yes with his head, slightly.

The stranger approached the bed a little more, slowly this time. He sat on the bed and, with a gesture, asked for his arm. Shun moved closer, biting his lower lip not to moan with paid because of the movement – but that didn't help, as lis lip was already split. Dealing with the pain the best he could, and also with his fear and suspicion, Shun timidly offered his lower arm for the older guy to inspect.

The asian guy took it on his hands and touched it in several points, with light and gentle fingers, obviously trying not to hurt him. Perhaps they were in a medical clinic, Shun thought, since this guy did not behave like a madman or an assailant.

"AH!" the boy screamed, when a particularly sensitive point was touched.

The asian guy let go of him gently and walked towards the narrow desk. He picked up a white case that was there. Shun paid attention to his every movement. Should he trust the guy? Was his intention to help him or hurt him? He was tall, and seemed to be quite strong, despite of being slim; his muscles were compact and well defined. Besides, he had a certain aura of power, of strenght. If he wanted to hurt him, Shun would not be able to defend himself. But, trust or no trust, what choice did he have?

The stranger sat down on the bed again and unzipped the case. Shun peeked at its contents, and went cold to see several scary tools, among them syringes, a pair of scissors and a scalpel.

"What does he intend to do to me?" the boy thought, frozen, already picturing those sharp objects cutting his skin and making his blood flow.

Noticing his fear, the brunette was silent for a moment, as if considering what to say. He selected a pomade, squeezed a little on his own finger and finally said, "This will help with the pain. Your wrist doesn't seem to be broken, but there might be a small fracture or compromised area, so it's better to imobilize it and leave it alone for a few days.

As he spoke, he took the injured wrist and applied the pomade, in a deliberately light massage. Finishing that, he selected a roll of fauze from the case, and rolled it from the middle of Shun's lower arm until part of his hand, around his thumb.

Shun studied his face of beautiful features, trying to form an opinion about his improvised nurse. He has many questions to ask, but hesitated, afraid. So far the guy had been very nice to him, but until he knew what was going on, he did not want to abuse his good luck.

"Done," the brunette said, after finishing his work with white tape. He got a fine white fabric from the case and improvised a sling with it, placing it around the boy's neck and leaning his arm against it, than making a knot. "You don't need to wear this all the time, but this is more comfortable. By the way, how do your ribs feel?"

"Ãh?" Shun asked, surprised. How did he know that...? He looked down at himself and placed a hand underneath his pajama's top, noticing something other than his skin. He raised his top a little and saw that part of his chest was wrapped in a bandage.

This bothered him. He didn't like to have been touched when he were unconscious and helpless. On the other hand, the brunette had only helped him until now. He considered lying, but opted for the truth.

"It hurts here, when I move," he said timidly, showing the precise spot. "It anything broken?"

"I don't think so. It's hard to say without an x-ray, but if a rib were broken you would be screaming with pain. It seems like it's the same case as your wrist; a small lesion that will heal itself within a few days. The location was quite bruised and ugly, so I easily noticed it."

The longer haired man went silent, a strange expression. He had said very few words up to then, than spoke a lot at once. He must have decided that silence was better. He got up and took the first aid case. He seemed to have remembered something; he got some medicine and handed three tablets to the green-haired boy. "For your head," he said. He headed towards the door without another word.

"Wait!" Shun said. The other stopped, holding the semi-open door, his back to the room. "Who are you? Tell me where I am, please."

The brunette hesitated. Still his back to the boy, he turned only his face, looking at Shun sideways. "My name is Shiryu Suiyama. Rest, kid. You need it." And without more ado, he left the room, closing the door. Shun heard the noise of keys, followed by a lock being put in place.

At least this answered one of his questions. Shun did not unglue his eyes from the door, partly in shock. And then he understood. His two emeralds were suddenly moist.

"They've made me prisoner," he murmured to himself, at the same time that two fat tears rolled down his face.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~


	12. The River Incident

**Disclaimer:**Not mine. Not trying to make money.

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**Chapter 12 ****– The River Incident**

Shun cried a lot, curled up in bed, covering his face with his trembling, pale hands. Never in his life he felt so vulnerable and defenseless! Not even back at the orphanage. He remembered the times when Ikki was not around and his tormentors (several boys his age, that used to love bullying the weaker ones) would take advantage of his absence and have fun surrounding him, picking on him, laughing at him, insulting him, humiliating him. And now he again found himself helpless, in a situation that took him straight to the past. So much time had passed but here he was again, being victimized.

With the sheet, Shun wiped away the tears brought by these memories, but it was no use, new ones kept coming.

In his childhood, the bullying often went beyond words: the boys attacked him physically too, pushing him, beating him. Several against one, the cowards! Shun had always been small for his age; he wasn't short, but skinny, he had a more delicate frame than even most of the other girls of the orphanage. He had never been particularly strong. Added to that was his pretty face, his naturally sweet disposition, his aversion for violence of any kind – all of which had turned him into an obvious and easy victim for the bullies.

At the time he was constantly around Ikki. (He hugged the pillow a little stronger, at the thought.) Partially because the two of them had always been very close; they only had each other in this world. Ikki had taken care of him since he were a baby, sometimes he was a father more than a brother… But partially, he was always near Ikki for protection, for fear of being alone, because that's when the boys attacked him.

As if the regular bullying wasn't bad enough, there was a boy crueler than the others. "Nachi," he unfortunately remembered, but tried to forget again the bad memory.

In retrospective, Shun should have told his brother when others bullied him. That way he could have avoided much suffering for himself. Surely Ikki would never have allowed that to continue; he would have moved worlds to protect him. Now this seemed so obvious, but as a little kid, his logic was not always the best. He didn't want Ikki to worry day and night for him – he worried so much already. He was also afraid that Ikki might get into fights because of him, causing him to be expelled from the orphanage. Ikki always had an explosive temperament, and became an infuriated beast if anyone picked on his little brother – sometimes, without measuring the consequences. Because of it, Shun thought better to be quiet.

He could also have told the staff when somebody was mean to him, but at the time, he was afraid of even that... Afraid that no one would believe him, that they would call him a liar and punish him. Or worse: would laugh at him, pointing fingers and calling him a cry-baby, the little idiot who could not even take care of himself… Fear and shame shut him up.

Part of him – a voice that used to whisper inside of him – had thought that no one would care to defend him besides his brother, simply because he was not worth the bother. After all, who was he? Just an orphaned little boy that no one wanted, that lived of charity, who was not useful to anyone. He thought just used up space and created more work. If at least he had been strong and confident like his brother, or got good graded like Naoko, or sang beautifully like Kenji, or was good at baseball like Hiruji… but he had been too plain, without any talent or special something. Deep down, he took his tormenting with a certain resignation, because he didn't think he deserved better treatment.

This is how Shun spent his childhood: hiding at the shadow of his brother, constantly feeling weak and helpless, permanently on the defensive, fearing to be attacked. Thinking that he wasn't worth a great deal like a human being, and with a broken heart, finding "proof" of that constantly.

Nachi came to his mind again, against his will. Yes, he had been the worst of all the bullies… the mere memory of him made Shun curl up tighter on the bed and cover his head with the sheet, as if he could still harm him.

He clearly recalled his face, a little cockeyed, eyes full of malice. Sun tanned skin and dark hair. Nachi was about ten when they met, and he was eight. Nachi was a little taller, and although he wasn't particularly strong, he was intimidating. He had been transferred from another orphanage where he got kicked out for causing trouble – what kind, nobody knew.

Among other small cruel acts that he did to Shun ("silly" things like spit on his juice, tear his drawings, or make him fall down and hurt his knees on the cement floor), Nashi was always threatening to drown him in the river nearby. He constantly said things like, "Any of these days, when you least expect, I'll take you for a walk to the river, and I'll send you for a swim…" Other times he would add: "You will dive, and will stay down there, never again will come back to the orphanage… The river will be your new home…"

Shun would open his eyes wide in horror, never doubting that the boy was capable of doing that, and Nachi would laugh at his reaction, amused. "Imagine, living deep down forever, with the fish, all that space, the whole river for you! Since you don't have a home, it would be great, huh? That way you wouldn't have to be a charity case anymore! What do you think?"

Shun would always freeze, not knowing what to say. He all but pissed in his pants, believing that, sooner or later, the older boy would carry out his threats.

One day Shun finally felt brave and asked: "Why do you do this to me? What have I done to you?"

Nachi looked innocent. "I haven't done anything!" Then smiled sideways. "But I will, one of these days…"

"But why?" the green-haired boy insisted. "Why me? What reasons did I give you?"

"No reason," the other shrugged, smiling maliciously. "I do it because I can, and you cannot stop me." He rolled a thread of the green hair around his dirty finger. "I'll do it because it's gonna be fun."

Shun got away from him and ran, crying. He wanted to call out for Ikki, but for some reason was too ashamed to. He kept hearing Nachi's laughter getting more and more distant. Even know, much older, lying here at this room, he could still hear that laughter in his head.

Two days later, Shun remembered. In one moment, everything was peaceful; he was sitting underneath a tree, reading a book (it belonged to the little orphanage's library; of course it wasn't his), and in the following moment everything had gone to hell. He felt himself being yanked by one arm, grabbed from behind by strong arms, and quickly dragged from the spot. "Time to go for that walk to the river, like I promised!" he heard whispered against his ear, followed by a little cruel laughter that, unfortunately, was so familiar.

For a few seconds Shun was paralized with shock; but soon he recovered and began to trash with all his might, kicking and fighting. He tried to scream for help, but didn't get a chance, as a hand quickly covered his mouth, silencing him.

"Shhh, be quiet or else it will be worse for you," the older boy threatened, continuing to drag the younger one, seeming not to care with the kicks and the skinny arms struggling.

Shun grew more desoperate by the second, because he was trully being dragged toward the river; he wasn't being able to fight back, but he had to find a way to escape that situation, before it was too late.

When they arrived at the waterside, Nachi stopped, turned Shun around to stare into his face, holding him by the arms, with a happy expression. "Welcome to your new home!" he laughed.

This only heightened the panic of the younger boy, who struggled even more now, but was not able to get away. To scream now would not help; they were too far from the orphanage, nobody would hear it.

"Let me go, please!"

"Ah, but you will like it here! Don't worry, you won't be left alone. mas você vai gostar daqui! Your brother will never find out where you are, but I promise to come visit you every now and then."

"Hey Nachi! Shun! Have you seen our ball?" a childish voice yelled from a distance.

Shun turned his face towards the voice and saw a group of the orphanage kids approaching. Nachi kept holding him. Shun did not scream for help, nor did he continue struggling; he was too ashamed of the situation. What a ridiculous preocupation at a time when his life was at stake – he saw it now, older, but that's what he felt back then.

"Yes, I saw the ball, Kenji, "Nachi lied, trying to conceal his irritation, still grabbing the smaller boy's arms with two iron hands. "It fell that way," he pointed with his chin to an area covered by rocks, where the kids would not be able to see them, and he could continue with his plan.

"Let me go, Nachi!" Shun finally screamed and began to struggle with all his might again, ignoring the humiliation and shame that he felt. It was better to be a little ashamed than become fish food!

"Wait a second, cockeye, you are not picking on Shunny again, are you? Sayuri was approaching. Seeing her take a stance, her friends followed her.

"Yeah, you've heard the kid, let him go!" somebody in the group yelled.

"Hey, we were just playing!" Nachi lied, releasing his grip on Shun.

Imediately Shun ran, as fast as his legs allowed him. He didn't stop until he reached the main house; he ran inside the kitchen, empty at that time, opened the sink's door, curled up inside and closed the door, fighting to calm down his breathing and stay quiet.

After so many years, he no longer remembered how long he had spent there, hiding underneath the sink. But he remembered feeling terror like never before in his life. If those kids had not shown up at that moment, he probably would not be still alive. He was paranoid that, at any instant, Nachi would yank the two doors open with a "A-ha! Got you!" and yould drag him back to the river. He had wanted Ikki so badly, but had not dared move.

Eventually Ikki found him in the kitchen (it wasn't the first time he had used that hiding place). He held him for a long time, patting his back and caressing his hair while his younger brother cried endlessly.

Shun refused to tell him what had happened. The whole thing hadn't been his fault, but for some reason he felt deeply ashamed of it. Ikki knew, of course, that something very wrong had happened, but did not press the issue.

Five days after the incident, Nachi was suddenly transferred from there. No one knew why, but the children could be very creative inventing possible reasons. To Shun, it didn't matter why; he was profoundly reliefed that his biggest tormentor ever was gone.

When Ikki finally took both of them out of the system's hands to go live by themselves, things improved a lot for Shun. There were always new bullies, at the public school for instance, but not so many, and not so cruel. These older boys had other things to worry about, like dating and sports. Whenever someone picked on him, it was more an idiotic, childish thing, than a cruel act guided by anger. Perhaps because they were no longer children, but teenagers with some sense. But probably also because those kids had grown up with a family, having a normal life. He understood how much a child raised by the system could go through.

Shun was also no longer willing to be victimized. He was no longer a poor abandoned boy, dependent on other's charity. Ikki worked (my God, he had been practically a child then!) and that way they were independent. They needed no one, had to answer to no one any longer. They no longer had to put up with crap, to be insulted, to be forced to do anything or be anywhere. There were free to come and go as they pleased, and they were enough to one another. So young, they were merely boys, alone in the world, but they faced it like little men, chin up and full of courage. (When Ikki was leading the way, it was easy to be brave!)

And he didn't even have to fight often to defend himself, when someone picked on him. He had learnt that not much was needed; just a firm attitude, a slightly rispid tone (he had to practice that a lot in front of the mirror) and they soon left him alone.

Since tension and fear were no longer parts of his daily life, Shun found himself relaxing more and more, letting his happy, optimistic, open-hearted side flourish. It had always been there, of course, but repressed. Before he used to feel like a dead fly, a nobody that belonged anywhere. He had only wanted to become wallpaper, to be invisible. But then, when he was finally free, he let himself show the world a bit of who he really were inside. He began revealing his personality instead of hiding it. He was very surprised to quickly become surrounded with new friends and admirers. People that did not merely tolerated him, but – boy! – seemed to really like him. They would catch his optimism and laughter like a good virus.

For the first time in his life, Shun felt liked by a person other than Ikki. For the first time he began believing that, perhaps, he might be worth something after all.

And now, back to being bullied, back to being helpless. But these weren't children; these were grown men, beating him up quite badly, locking him in a room like a hostage. Maybe he was born for this kind of thing: to be a victim, to be somebody's toy. Maybe this is what he was good for. He might have many friends, msany people that liked him, he could lie to himself and the world pretending to be someone of value. But this is what it was: just a lie, an illusion. These friends did not realize who he really was. He had never stopped being the worthless orphan that no one had ever wanted, and no one ever would.

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~

A/N: On the the original version of this fic, in Portuguese, I wrote another full page for this chapter. And now, translating it to English, *I* was terribly bored with it. It was too damn long! So I cut down some needless chunks (i.e. details on Nachi leaving, what the children thought he had done, Shun thinking more self-deprecating thoughts…) I think that this is better.


	13. Dark Angel

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Not trying to make money.

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**Chapter 13 ****– Dark Angel**

He could not lay forever on that bed, thinking about the past and whining. This only made his head hurt worse. He sat up and saw the room spinning, but after a few seconds the dizziness passed. Either it was hunger, as he hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday, or – what's his name, Seiya? – had beaten him too heavily and losening some screws. He felt weak, fatigued. Dispirited.

He had to react! He had to get up, do something. Anything! He glanced around the small room. He sat down and stood up slowly, holding the bed for support. What now?

Trying to understand what was going on would be a good start. He had no idea why he had been attacked to brutally, taken to a strange place, made prisoner. Why him?

Would this be just your typical kidnapping, where the criminals ask for a ransom? No, this made no sense; his brother wan't rich, let alone himself. A regular kidnapper would not take someone randomly, without checking his financial situation first. Or talk nonsense like Seiya did. (Maybe he was after money for drugs – that would explain some things.) Shun did not understand what Seiya had said but clearly it was something very personal, not random.

But then what could it be?

He didn't know what they wanted of him, what they intended to do. And honestly he was afraid to think about it, as it couldn't be anything good. That Shiryu had not treated him badly yet, he had been quite gentle to treat his injuries. But that didn't mean he wouldn't behave differently any moment now. He was Seiya's friend, he was a kidnapper; he surely wasn't a good guy.

"Ikki," he whinned. But Ikki wasn't there to protect him. Surely he had no idea that something had even happened. And even if he knew, what could he do? As much as he liked to think of his brother as a semi-god, someone practically omnipotent that was capable of solving any problem, Ikki was nothing like that; he was just a young man of flesh and bones. Even if he knew that Shun had been kidnapped, how on earth would he find him?

He just didn't have high hopes to be rescued. He realized that, this time, he couldn't count with his brother's help. If he wanted out of this situation, he would have to help himself.

With that thought, he headed towards the door by which the brunette had left. Trying to be quiet, he turned the doorknob, just to test it. It was indeed locked. He leaned his ear against the wood, trying to hear something, but found only silence. He looked through the keyhole, in an old-fashioned style, but didn't see anything – the key must be blocking the view from the other side.

He turned back towards the room and began exploring the place, but there wasn't much to see. The single bed with clean sheets. The pillow that he had been hugging. The thin blanket, folded at the end of the bed. The small rectangular desk, made of raw wood, simple, with a chair made of the same wood.

He approached the second door, already expecting it to be locked, but it opened, revealing a bathroom. It was small and basic, with a toilet, small sink, mirror (old and stained, but a luxury considering the situation), a shower with a cement floor and plastic curtain. There was a clean folded towel, a new bar of soap, a new toothbrush and toothpaste by the sink.

"Aah!", he screamed, surprised when he walked up to the mirror and saw the state he was in. He couldn't believe what he saw! His hair was all dishevelled, it looked like it didn't touch a brush in a week – but this merely topped the horror movie look. His face was covered in yellow, blue, purple and black tones – on top of a ton that was normally pale, but now was pink because of all the crying. One side of the face was quite swollen, and the lower lip split. One of the eyes was purple and only opened partially; both eyes were swollen, reddish and wet. Adding to this beautiful image was the upper part of the sling, visible on the small mirror. He looked like he had neen ran over by a truck! He was scared to look how the rest of his body looked like.

"You won't be winning any Miss Japan contest over the next few days-"

"Aaaaaah!" Shun jumped, surprised, and turned around. He saw someone at the bathroom door, who had approached silently, without him noticing it.

"-but no one of these injuries is permanent. Who knows." The intruder smiled sarcasticaly, with some meanness. He was leaning against the door, arms crossed comfortable, watching him with intent.

Shun recognized that face. He slowly goggled his eyes. "It's the angel!" escaped through his lips. A minuscule smile was born. The very angel from his dream! The one who protected him and gave him a feeling of peace after the beating, when he had been unconscious! The same blonde hair, that pale skin, those blue eyes…

The small smile died, being replaced by a totally confused look. How was this possible? The angel had been just a dream, a trick used by his brain to help him cope with a painful reality, giving him a measure of confort. That's what he assumed the angel had been. So how…? Has it been real, not a dream?

The blonde frowned. "I'm no angel, boy," he said harshly. "You got beaten up badly, but you are not dead yet. This isn't heaven. On the contrary," he smiled maliciously again.

The green-haired boy studyed him. His angel looked like this guy just in appearance. The rest, they couldn't be more different. His angel was kind and had conforted him, while the guy in front of him was clearly a bad person – in fact he was threatening him. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Hyoga." He seemed to think for a moment, and added: "But for your own good, it's better not to call me anything. Limit yourself to speak only what's necessary, don't make stupid questions, and do as you're told. Don't make things even worse for yourself."

Shun's eyes filled up with tears again. Damn it! At this rate, he wouldn't be able to cease crying anytime soon!

Why was the blonde being so cruel with him? He should have expected that his kidnappers wouldn't exactly be his pals, treating him with tea and cookies, but this attitude coming from his angel lookalike hurt him more than it should have.

Hyoga saw his tears and rolled his eyes, but made no comment.

After all – what the hell was going on? Was this guy the angel of his dream or not? Or just looked alike? But how could Shun dream of someone he had never seen before? And if all had been real, if the blonde had really held him in his arms and protected him, then how to explain this radical change of attitude?

Shun was already exhausted of so many things not making sense in such a short period of time.

He crossed his good arm on his chest, as if hugging himself. He felt exposed and unprotected in front of this guy, for some reason. "What will you and the others do with me?" he finally asked, his voice small and thin. Two fat tears rolled down the bruised face, burning along the way.

"This will depend on your brother, Amamiya," the blonde said with the coldness of ice. "If he cooperates with us, nothing bad will happen to you. But if he forces our hand…" He left the rest unsaid.

Ah, so it was really a kidnapping for ransom. That was good. So low, so vulgar, of course, but at least it wasn't something personal against him.

How did they know that he had a brother?...

Shun took a deep breath and gathered courage to say it all at once. "My brother surely will cooperate, Hyoga, sir. There is no need for any more violence. He will give you all of his savings to get me back. But he isn't a rich man, so don't expect a lot. And I have nothing on my name, nor much cash, but I'll give you whatever I have in my apartment. I warn you, we don't have family or relatived for you to demand more money from… it's just the two of us."

There, he said what he had to say. At least now everything had been clarified, and going towards a positive resolution for all of the involved.

Hyoga stared at him with a very odd expression... as if he was disbelieving what he'd heard. At last he uncrossed his arms, took a step ahead into Shun's personal space with a threatening demeanor, and said in a dangerous tone, "What game is this, boy? Don't play games with me. You know fully well that money is not part of the equation."

Shun unconciously stepped back and opened his eyes wide. "But… if you don't want money… what do you want?"

The possibilities that passed on his mind in a flash were not good at all. His virginity? His life? His organs, to be sold on the black market? (But if it were one of these things, what had Ikki to do with it?) Would they sell him as a slave in an exotic and primitive country? But he wasn't strong enough to do heavy work and-

Hyoga lost his patience. He walked to the bot and pushed him against the wall. Shun startled, then froze, his eyes open like plates. The blonde came very close, placing both hands on the wall beside the smaller boy's head, leaning against him without touching, in a totally intimidating attitude. Shun did not move the wide emeralds away from the blonde's cold eyes, panting.

Shun expected an iminent attack. If that happened, there was nothing he could do. He was already weak normally… what would he do with just one hand, against a bigger and much stronger guy? Especially with an injured wrist and ribs, being weak points! There was no possible defense for him. Nothing but tears, that wouldn't move the man one bit. They certainly have never moved the biys from the orphanage – let alone a kidnapper…

With calm and deliberation, Hyoga said, pronouncing well each word: "I already told you, today I'm not up for games, Amamiya. I know that you know us really well, since for two years Phoenix has been doing one murder attempt after the next, against us. I know you're involved in his last "project".

Huh? But what...?

"By the way, what role do you play on the team, huh?" he continued. Do you test what is the best coating for the bullets?"

His voice was low, and the expression on his face was neutral, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. Their noses were almost touching. "Perhaps you help your brother by hiring Saint-wannabes as thugs, that you probably only use once or twice, and they soon die in a fight? Or maybe, you are in charge of distracting some perverted professor with your sweet childish face, while Phoenix places a bomb at the university's lab? So?"

Shun was completely confused with Hyoga's words (what else was new?), and because of it, more scared. His words made as much sense to him as Seiya's. Maybe those two took the same kind of allucinatory drug. What murder attempts, what bullets, what team, what thugs, what bomb, my God?

Heavens, what had he gotten himself into? They must have confused him with someone else! Or they were all runaways from a mental institution!

Shun stuttered, trying to find the right words to answer, but didn't know what to say. "I-I... a-ah..."

"Come on, speak out!" the blonde finally raised his voice. "I've asked you a question! I want to know what your role is on this dirty scheme!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Shun screamed, uncontrolled. He was a pile of nerves, his whole body shook, but he couldn't control this reaction. In contrast, the blonde was pure calm and control; the blue irises were as cold as the Siberian glaciers that Shun had seen on a nature documentary on tv. "Just a lot of craziness that makes zero sense! You and your friends are insane – insane!"

Contrasting with the screams of the smaller boy, Hyoga's voice was just above a whisper. "So you deny that you are Phoenix' accomplice in the construction of the gun?"

"I deny it, of course I deny it!" Shun lowered his voice to a more reasonable tone. This guy had to believe him. "I swear I know no Phoenix!"

Hyoga grabbed him by his shirt and tightened his fists around the fabric, with the twisted expression of someone who wanted to strangle him, much different from the cool and unshaken look from before.

"Aah!" Shun screamed in pain. The blonde had touched the area of his injured rib.

Hyoga released him immediately and stepped back. He watched him for another moment, with a look of… guilt? Impotence? Confusion? At last he turned and left the bathroom. Shun heard the front door slam, followed by the sound of the keys.

Relieved for being alone again, and (at least for now) safe, he curled up in a corner, hugged his knees with his good arm, hid his face and made himself as small as he could, letting fresh tears and sobs come freely.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~


	14. Photos

**Disclaimer:**Not mine. Not trying to make money.

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**Chapter 14 ****– Photos**

Ikki entered the building where his brother lived, for the first time without a costume of postman, pizza delivery guy, cop, Evangelic preacher, plumber or electrician. These costumes, along with all the other precautions that Ikki had always employed so carefully, so that Shun would never found out as his brother and placed in danger, might have protected him for a while, but unfortunately truth prevailed and got them.

It was entirely his fault that Shun was on this situation, whatever it was, and the guilt tormented Ikki. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to his baby brother.

He ran up the stairs jumping every three steps till the eight floor. He only hoped he had come to the right place to begin his search for his brother; this could be a total waste of time, and time might be of essence. He didn't know where to start, but hoped that the place where Shun had been attacked might give him a clue of his whereabouts.

Arriving on number 86, he ignored the yellow and black tape telling him not to trespass, left at the door by the police. (Ha! These shitty detectives trying to fool people, making it look like they were doing a serious investigation. The day those useless amateurs would be helpful to him was the day of the Apocalypse; same day when pigs flied and chickens got teeth.) He also ignored the keys he always brought with himself; he simple kicked the door that gave in without trouble and walked in, not wanting to waste any more time.

But he stopped almost immediately on his hurry. With his eyed fixated on the kitchen floor, he slowly closed the door behind him. He crouched and touched the red stain with his fingers. Blood. He closed his eyes tightly shut, as if not wanting to see the hard reality in front of him. It wasn't a lot of it, but it was definitely blood. On the floor, at the door… It could only be Shun's. The newspaper article had said there was blood on the scene, but reading about it was one thing, but seeing it with his own eyes…

His heart, already compressed since he'd read the news a little over an hour ago, now physically hurt in his chest. A crazy mix of emotions invaded him: rage, fear, guilt, regret, hate, loss, impotence, anguish and other emotions that he couldn't define. All he wanted was his little brother back, well and safe, and he wanted the motherfucker that scared him this way dead. And he wanted it NOW.

He got up and walked to the living room. Damn it, what in hell happened there? The chaos was staggering – the couch toppled over, books thrown everywhere, broken pieces of objects here and there, the bookshelf face-down on the floor. It looked like a hurricane had passed here! He didn't know what to make of it.

He walked through the wreckage that used to be his brother's beloved place, his shelter from the world, that Ikki had bought as soon as his "business" became profitable. It was the first time that each brother had a place in the world that was all his own, after spending the whole childhood living off charity, sleeping in small beds with thin, uncomfortable mattresses, sharing a room with at least twenty other children. At the time, Shun was bursting with joy when Ikki gave him this apartment as a gift. He had had so much fun at furniture stores, like a child in a toy store, planning his living room meticulously. Ikki had followed him around crankily, telling him just to buy anything and get over it – but secretly it gave him immense pleasure to be able to bring so much joy to his brother. Shun fell in love with that couch at first sight – that same one there, now toppled over.

Shun had decorated that space, every little corner of that apartment with so much love, with his books and objects and details that reflected his personality. Now they were wrecked, destroyed, tossed everywhere. Anguished, Ikki walked around looking at every tossed object, as it it contained the answers: what happened? What have they done with my brother?

Oh, when he got his hands on the bastard asshole son of a bitch!...

At the corner desk, an object got his attention: a white envelope. Taking a closer look, he read "PHOENIX". Widening his eyes, and with adrenalin shooting through his veins, he grabbed the envelope, tore it open and removed its contents. It was a small bundle of photos with a white folded sheet of paper. He unfolded the paper and read the note first. It had been handwritten with very legible, careful, masculine strokes of a simple elegance. Surely it hadn't come from the hand of any low-class thug.

His eyes went straight to the signature: the Bronze Saints. What? He couldn't believe it. The Chinese gecko, the cold duck and the winged ass? Those self-righteous pussies, always being the good citizens, now playing the bad guys? This world was really upside-down!

Well, but this was ridiculous! Ikki laughed out loud, nervous and very relieved at once. Those dimwits would not dare touch Shun! Certainly all that mess had been well planned, aiming to scare him and manipulate him. He could even picture the three stooges messing the living room on purpose, splashing fake blood in the kitchen, while Shun was being taken to some comfortable hotel (with some excuse not to scare him who, innocently, would believe the strangers without a second guess) and treat him like a prince. And Shun, completely clueless about the anguishing worry that his brother was going through.

With a smile on his lips he returned to the note, now slightly amused, wanting to see how far this farce would go:

"Phoenix,

Greetings.

Regrettably, things have arrived to this point. Since an agreement has not been successfully reached through civilized routes, it has been made necessary for someone to pursue drastic measures."

Oh yes, of course! Ikki smiles. Which kidnapper worth his salt would write such a cute, polite note? Please! They couldn't even pretend to be evil!

"We have your sibling." (Thanks for mentioning the obvious, thought Ikki.) "He is alive, and so he will remain in the immediate future. However, the measure of courtesy with which he will be treated will depend exclusively on your mutual cooperation – partially his own, but primarily your cooperation, Phoenix.

For the well-being of the young Amamiya, do not search for us, and do not even consider causing any disturbance.

We'll be in contact.

The Bronze Saints"

Well. They did not say what they wanted of him, but Ikki had some idea. Whatever it was, they wouldn't get it. In fact, they would gain absolutely nothing with this. They would end up getting tired and frustrated with the game, realize the supreme stupidity that they had done, how useless it had been, and would return Shun to this apartment without a scratch, as the good boys that they were. The only inconvenience would be to clean this fucking mess, smooth out some mishandled books and substitute a couple of broken vases. And recover from the near heart attack, of course.

Ikki threw the note up in the air, as someone who dismisses some bothersome silliness. He turned the pack of photos, seeing the first one. Then his whole body went cold, and the air left his lungs.

Shun. A close-up portrait. Closed eyes, unconscious or asleep, an expression of pain, skin in several tones that it shouldn't be, disfigured, bleeding.

That image had not been retouched in a lab – he could see that it was real.

Quickly he flicked through the other photos, not breathing, not believing what he saw – no, not wanting to believe it. All the anguish from before, that had disappeared amidst nervous laughter, had returned and multiplied many times in face of these… these… horrors!

There were five photos in total, one worse than the other. The second was taken in a wider angle, showing Shun unconscious, laying in a small bed, in a dark room. His hands were tied in front of him, and his blood staining the white sheets around his head. His clothes were dirty, but Ikki had no way to evaluate his injuries. The other three photos showed the same scene, from different angles, making a grotesque series.

Ikki hadn't even noticed when he had started crying, but finally was made aware by hearing his own sobs, and his blurry vision wouldn't let him see the photos clearly anymore. He didn't even remember what crying was like; he hadn't cried in so many years. He didn't censor himself for it; he did what he had to do, felt what he had to feel.

Ever since they had left the orphanage he hadn't felt this way, so desperate, so powerless, he and his brother at the mercy of others. Shun might have his hands tied on the photo, but he, Ikki, was the one who felt that he hand his hands tied. Seeing his little brother in this condition, hurt, helpless, in danger, opened a bottomless black whole in front of him, and he would fall in it for sure were he to lose Shun forever.

Finally, with a scream of pain that expressed so much emotion that would have scared anyone, Ikki furiously tore the photos into little pieces, throwing them up in the ground. He stalked to the tv set, as if the equipment had something to blame; he snatched it and hurled it across the room, crashing it against the wall. Then he began to repeatedly pound the closest wall with his fists.

No! He would not stay here whining and doing nothing! He was Ikki Amamiya, the Phoenix! The man who so many respected and feared! He had faced very powerful enemies and come out on top – he would not allow three pathetic morons to defeat him! He would do something to save his brother! And kept pounding the wall.

He stopped, looking at his bleeding knuckles. Ah, but those three were not being imbecile this time. Not really. The gecko, the duck and the ass seemed to have learned something, finally. This time he had to take his hat off for them, not only for having found his Achilles heel, but also for leaving their silly moral hangups aside and acted efficiently once in their lives. This is how it was done.

Of course that this tiny beginning of respect that he felt for them did not diminish whatsoever the hate he normally felt for them, which now was so intense it nearly suffocated him.

He would save Shun and make each of of them suffer – of, suffer a lot! – for picking on the wrong kid, the pup raised by the beast. They would not get away this time!

"Shun, hold it there, buddy", Ikki murmured to the empty living room. "I will find you, wait for me. Everything will be okay."

Then he left, not bothering to close the door.

And now, what would he do? He would not sit still and wait until they got in touch, that was for sure. "We'll be in contact," his dick! A plan started to form in his mind.

TBC

~SS~SS~SS~SS~SS~


End file.
